MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. 95 



window : he was in the last and frightfullest stage of confirmed 

 hydrophobia. I sent for a rifle and terminated the animal's 

 life. 



" I was at first afraid to inquire into the extent of my calamity. 

 I mustered courage to enter the kennel, and personally investi- 

 gated the state of my dogs. Every one of them, ten in number, 

 had been bitten, and several of them were fearfully mutilated 

 by the rabid animal I had despatched. Even the terriers had 

 not escaped ; and they, poor animals ! were necessarily in- 

 cluded in the general order for execution that I issued to 

 the keeper. That noble house-dog, who has been the 

 subject of your admiration, was fortunately preserved, by 

 having been sent for by a gentleman who resided in the 

 next county. 



" A most extraordinary insensibility to danger was evinced 

 by the female members of my household. Unluckily, Antony 

 was absent in the mountains, setting a broken bone; the 

 keeper had accompanied me ; every one acquainted with the 

 habits and management of dogs was from home ; and the 

 kennel was entrusted to the kitchen-boy. On this occasion, 

 the disease appears to have come on gradually, and for days 

 the setter betrayed the customary signs of incipient madness. 

 Had he been tied up even when the malady was fully estab- 

 lished, no mischief might have resulted. But until his violence 

 became frightful, he was actually permitted to run about the 

 house, and got access to the kennel, while the boy was carrying 

 food to his charge. 



" The escape of the servants was miraculous. The day 

 only before my arrival, the dog, in a paroxysm of suffering, 

 had thrown himself across the fire-place. ' Come away from 

 that, Biddy/ said the old cook, with perfect nonchalance, to 

 her attendant: * Don't ye see the dog is mad?' and continued 

 some culinary operation, in which, at a distant corner of the 

 kitchen, she was engaged. The boy's preservation was unac- 

 countable. The poor lad made many unavailing efforts to 

 part the dogs when fighting in the kennel, and prevent the 

 setters from being bitten. In this perilous attempt his 

 clothes were literally torn to ribbons ; but, fortunately for 

 himself, there was riot a scratch visible on his skin." 



