62 REMINISCENCES OP A SPOETSMAN. 



temper and disposition of the animal ; but generally 

 speaking, in the training, gentle and lenient conduct, 

 perseveringly adhered to towards a sporting dog, will in 

 the end, provided he has a good nose, make him fully 

 equal to the performance of all the duties required of 

 him in the field. 



I shall now give several examples of the extraordinary 

 attachment shown by this noble animal to his master. 

 This first anecdote I shall relate was told me by a lady 

 when on board her husband's yacht at Stockholm, and 

 she had seen the dog referred to in his box, in one of the 

 churchyards of the Swedish metropolis. 



"A captain of an English merchant ship had arrived 

 in the port of Stockholm, and was soon afterwards 

 seized with an illness of which he died. At the time 

 of his death he had on board a fine large black New- 

 foundland dog, which was fondly attached to him. On 

 the day of the captain's funeral, Neptune was allowed 

 to follow his poor master to the grave, and after the 

 funeral ceremony had been performed the officers and 

 crew made every exertion to entice the dog to follow 

 them to the ship, but all in vain, and their endeavours 

 to catch him proving fruitless, they left him in the 

 churchyard ; and as soon as they had disappeared, the 

 affectionate animal returned to his master's grave. 

 During the short time the ship remained in port the 

 dog might be seen at all times lying with his head on 

 the grave, and every day the sailors brought him his 

 food; but he was so vigilant on these occasions that they 

 never could get near him to take him back to the ship, 

 and they were at last obliged to sail without him. The 

 neighbouring Swedish inhabitants, in admiration at the 

 extraordinary attachment displayed by this animal to 



