" NERO. . 107 



shonld have a muzzle made for him, to be put on wlien 

 he followed me ou horseback or on foot ; which I did, 

 and which I subsequently found was very necessary, 

 as will be proved by the rather ludicrous circum- 

 stance which I am about to relate. I was walking one 

 evening with this dog near a large monastery, in which 

 my regiment was quartered, and were then turning out 

 for the evening parade. I had only proceeded a few 

 hundred yards when a quartermaster of a Sicilian regi- 

 ment of cavalry passed by me at full gallop. This, I 

 conceive, immediately irritated Nero, for, starting off at 

 full speed, he soon overtook the quartermaster, and such 

 was his surprising agility that I saw him several times 

 leap right over the horse at the back of the frightened 

 rider, who, instantly drawing his sword, made repeated 

 cuts at the dog, but without effect. I did all in my 

 power to call off Nero, in Spanish, but all in vain ; but 

 as the dog was muzzled the rider and his horse were in 

 no danger from his teeth. When the quartermaster 

 arrived where the regiment was in line, several of the 

 sergeants rushed forward with their halberts and beat 

 the dog off. \Mien I came up I found the Sicilian in 

 a most violent rage, swearing in Italian that he would 

 make a complaint to the general commanding the army, 

 and make every exertion to have the dog destroyed. I 

 now began to think that Nero, from his ferocity, might 

 get me into some unpleasant scrape, and my friend the 

 late Sir Eobert Travers being anxious to possess the 

 dog, I made him a present of him. Poor Nero came to 

 an untimely end from making an attack upon one of our 

 artillerymen, who drew his bayonet and ran it through 

 his body. I really think I never saw a finer specimen 

 of the canine race than Nero was. 

 I 2 



