KEMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 95 



keep your dogs in sight, or they you. When 

 Tom finds anything and does not see me, he is 

 not fool enough to stay there for ever; he comes 

 and looks for me, and when I see him, knowing 

 what he means, I walk to him, when he takes 

 me up to his game. But I have had other 

 dogs do this, though not to the same extent. 

 This, however, which I am going to relate, I 

 never have seen. 



Tom backed as well as a dog could ; but if I 

 was not in sight when the dog he was backing 

 stood, Tom came to look for me, and having 

 found me, brought me up to him ; and his 

 manner of introducing me to the dog, or the dog 

 to me, might suggest a sketch to Landseer. 



I hunted poor Tom thirteen seasons, and 

 could never tire him ; and if the fastest of my 

 black-and-tan setters (and I had some very fast) 

 was out, Tom would always take and keep the 

 outside range. He was also an excellent and 

 sagacious retriever — pointers, jpar parenthese, 

 always making the best when properly trained. 

 In the coldest of days he would retrieve bird 

 after bird out of the numerous lochs round 

 which most of our shooting lay. I once 

 winged a grouse, which ran towards a burn, 

 and as Tom was retrieving it, I tailored another 

 in the same fashion, who also made for the 



