152 The Book of Cats. 



Ishmael, and as she had tasted of my salt, and taken 

 refuge under my roof, besides being the pet of my 

 children, I could not bring myself to order her 

 destruction. Before this we had discovered her 

 lawful owner, a poor cottager, and had sent her 

 back ; but each time that she was sent away, she 

 returned to our porch ; so we made her by 

 purchase legitimately ours. She seemed to be 

 aware of the transaction, and from that time 

 became perfectly at home, and adopted civi- 

 lised habits, though she still continued very 

 frequently to indulge in a rabbit-hunt. I had 

 added a fine dog to my establishment, to act as a 

 watchman over the wood yard and stables. She 

 and he were at first on fair terms, — a sort of armed 

 neutrality. In process of time, however, she be- 

 came the mother of a litter of kittens. With the 

 exception of one, they shared the fate of other 

 kittens. When she discovered the loss of her 

 hopeful family, she wandered about looking 

 for them, in a very melancholy way, till, en- 

 countering the dog Carlo, it seemed suddenly 

 to strike her that he had been guilty of that act of 

 barbarous spoliation. With back up, she approach- 

 ed, and flew at him with the greatest fury, till 

 blood dropped from his nose, and though ten times 



