was just Rocky himself. Although the talk appeared 

 the result of accident, an instinct told me from the 

 start that it was not really so : it was Rocky's slow 

 and considered way. 



The only dog with us was licking a cut on her 

 shoulder the result of an unauthorised rush at a 

 wounded buck and after an examination of her wound 

 we had wandered over the account of how she had got 

 it, and so on to discussing the dog herself. Rocky 

 sat in silence, smoking and looking into the fire, and 

 the little discussion was closed by some one saying, 

 " She's no good for a hunting dog too plucky ! " 

 It was then I saw Rocky's eyes turned slowly on the 

 last speaker : he looked at him thoughtfully for a 

 good minute, and then remarked quietly : 



" Thar ain't no sich thing as too plucky ! " And 

 with that he stopped, almost as if inviting contradic- 

 tion. Whether he wanted a reply or not one cannot 

 say; anyway, he got none. No one took Rocky on 

 unnecessarily ; and at his leisure he resumed : 



" Thar's brave men ; an' thar's fools ; an' you kin 

 get some that's both. But thar's a whole heap that 

 ain't ! An' it's jus' the same with dawgs. She's 

 no fool, but she ain't been taught : that's what's 

 the matter with her. Men ha' got ter larn : dawgs 

 too ! Men ain't born equal : no more's dawgs ! 

 One's born better 'n another more brains, more 

 heart ; but I ain't yet heard o' the man born with 

 knowledge or experience ; that's what they got ter 

 learn men an' dawgs ! The born fool's got to do 

 fool's work all the time : but the others larn ; and 



37 -^ 



