A REPULSE. THE MASTIFF. 211 



out into the country about the town. The only object of 

 interest that I remember was &quot;Powis Castle,&quot; the seat of a 

 nobleman, finely situated in a picturesque, mountain-side park. 

 The castle itself is upon a spur of the mountain and is entirely 

 hidden among fine evergreen trees. I had toiled up to within 

 about ten feet of the edge of the plateau upon which it stands, 

 when I heard a low deep growl, and looking up saw above me 

 a great dog asking me, with bristling back, curling fangs, and 

 fierce grinning teeth, what business I had to be there. Con 

 sidering that I had no right to be visiting the residence of a 

 gentleman who was a stranger to me unless I had some busi 

 ness with him, and concluding upon short reflection that in 

 deed I had none, I determined upon a retrograde movement, 

 and taking care not to attempt even to apologize to his dog- 

 ship for the intrusion until I had brought a few trees between 

 us, I found that he backed down just about as fast as I did, so 

 that at a distance of half a dozen rods he appeared a hand 

 some, smooth, generous-natured mastiff, and I began to con 

 sider whether the earl would not probably be pleased to have 

 an intelligent stranger see the beauty of his castle ; but the 

 moment I stopped, the dog s lips began to part and his back to 

 rise again, and I concluded that whatever the earl s wishes 

 might be, I could not make it convenient just then to accom 

 modate him in that way, and returned forthwith to the village. 

 The true mastiff is a somewhat rare dog in England, and I 

 dos \ think that I ever saw one in America. He is very large 

 an-* powerful, and smooth haired. 



