398 THE SPANISH SHEEP DOG. 



too late now to retract with credit. On reaching the sheep, 

 he bent carefully forward, with his eyes on the dog, which 

 instantly made a spring at his throat. A quick forward 

 movement of his arm saved his throat, but the arm was so 

 dreadfully lacerated that immediate amputation became 

 necessary. To save the dog, which had but done his duty, 

 as he had been taught it, from the popular excitement, he was 

 shipped in a vessel which sailed that very afternooja, from 

 Bristol for America. He was sent to Francis Rotch, Esq., 

 then a resident of New-Bedford, Massachusetts. 



Fifteen or sixteen years ago, when I was writing " Sheep 

 Husbandry in the South,"*Mr. Rotch wrote to me as follows : 



" I have, as you desired, made you a sketch of the Spanish 

 sheep dog Arrogante, and a villainous looking rascal he is. 

 A worse countenance I hardly ever saw on a dog. His small, 

 blood-shot eyes, set close together, give him that sinister, 

 wolfish look, which is most unattractive ; but his countenance 

 is indicative of his character. There was nothing affectionate 

 or joyous about him. He never forgave an injury or an 

 insult ; offend him, and it was for life. I have often been 

 struck with his resemblance to his nation. He was proud 

 and reserved in the extreme, but not quarrelsome. Every 

 little cur would fly out at him, as at some strange animal ; 

 and I have seen them fasten for a moment on his heavy, 

 bushy tail, and yet he would stride on, never breaking his 

 long, ' loping,' shambling trot. Once I saw him turn, and 

 the retribution was awful ! It was upon a large, powerful 

 mastiff we kept as a night-guard in the Bank. He then put 

 forth his strength, which proved tremendous ! His coat hung 

 about him in thick, loose, matted folds, dirty and uncared-for 

 so that I presume a dog never got hold of anything about 

 him deeper than his thick, tough skin, which was twice too 

 large to fit him anywhere, and especially around the neck and 

 shoulders. The only other evidence of his uncommon 

 strength which I had observed, was the perfect ease with 

 which he threw himself over a high wall or paling, which 

 often drew my attention, because he seemed to me wanting 

 in that particular physical development which we are accus- 

 tomed to consider as necessary to muscular power. He was 

 flat-chested, and flat-sided, with a somewhat long back and 

 narrow loin. (My drawing foreshortens his length.) His 

 neck, forearm and thigh certainly indicated strength. If the 

 Spanish wolf and the dog ever cohabit, he most assuredly 

 had in him such a cross ; the very effluvia of the animal 



