chap. via. 'smut: 173 



which have now, like himself, passed away. As he 

 grew older he became cunning, and he ran entirely 

 mute, knowing well that the more noise the elk heard 

 behind him the faster he would run. I have frequently 

 known him to be out by himself all night, and return 

 the next morning blown out with food which he had 

 procured for himself by pulling down a doe single- 

 handed. When he was a young dog, and gave tongue 

 upon a scent, a challenge was offered, but never ac- 

 cepted, that the dog should find, hunt, and pull down 

 two buck elk, single-handed, within a fortnight, assis- 

 ted only by his master, with no other weapon than a 

 hunting-knife ; there is no doubt whatever that he 

 would have performed it easily. He then belonged to 

 Lieutenant Pardoe, of the 15th Regiment. 



He had several pitched battles with leopards, from 

 which he has returned frightfully torn, but with his 

 yellow hair bristled up, his head and stern erect ; and 

 his deep growl, with which he gave a dubious recep- 

 tion to both man and beast, was on these occasions 

 doubly threatening. 



I never knew a dog that combined superlative 

 valour with discretion in the degree exhibited by Smut. 

 I have seen many dogs who would rush heedlessly 

 upon a boar's tusks to certain destruction ; but Smut 

 would never seize until the proper time arrived, and 

 when the opportunity offered he never lost it. This 

 rendered him of great value in these wild sports, 



