96 REMINISCENCES OP A SPOETSMAN. 



morning. Another peculiarity of his was, that he had a 

 mortal antipathy to the family mouser, which was 

 engrained in his nature from his very puppyhood; 

 yet so absurd was he, that no impertinence on her side, 

 and no baiting on, could ever induce him to injure her 

 in the slightest degree. There was not a day, and 

 scarcely an hour passed over, that the family did not 

 get some amusement -with these two animals. "VMienever 

 he was in doors, his whole occupation was watching and 

 pointing the cat from morning to night. When she 

 flitted from one place to another, so did he in a moment, 

 and then squatting down, he kept his point sedulously, 

 till he was either called off or fell asleep. He was an 

 exceedingly poor eater of meat, always had to be pressed 

 to it, and often would not take it till we brought in the 

 cat. The malicious looks that he cast at her from 

 under his eyebrows on such occasions were exceedingly 

 ludicrous, considering his utter disinclination to injure 

 her. Whenever he saw her he drew near his bicker 

 and looked angry ; but still he would not taste till she 

 was brought to it, and then he cocked his tail, set up 

 his birses, and began lapping furiously as if in utter 

 desperation. 



" His good nature, however, was so immoveable that 

 he would never refuse her a share of what was set before 

 him ; he even lapped close to the one side of the dish, 

 and left her room, but mercy ! how he did ply." 



" There was a shepherd lad near Langholm, whose 

 name was Scott, who possessed a bitch famed all over 

 the west border for her singular tractability. He could 

 have sent her home with one sheep, two sheep, or any 

 given number, from any of the neighbouring farms; 

 and in the lambing season it was his uniform practice 



