DOG 143 



Another famous dog, as mentioned in "Laoidh an amadain 

 mhoir," is Umaidh's gaothair bhain, or Gorban's (Gao'rban) white 

 hound, as mentioned in the poem " Manos." The lamentation of 

 Umad for his hound will not appear unnatural or extravagant if 

 we consider the situation of the mourner — lame, old, in a desert 

 isle, and destitute of all other means of procuring subsistence — his 

 hound, to him, was everything. The attachment and sagacity of 

 the animal himself seems also to have been remarkable. Two 

 days and nights he had lain on the tomb of his master's murdered 

 son, as if he had meant to expire on the grave where his dust 

 had been deposited, if the necessity of the old man had not 

 called him away to a voluntary exile. If we form our opinion of 

 what we now find dogs, we may, perhaps, be not a little 

 mistaken ; their usefulness to society at that period raised them to 

 a rank which now they have no title to hold. Their education 

 and occupation were the same with those of man, and they 

 constantly enjoyed both his company and his friendship, which 

 must have greatly improved their nature, so susceptible of 

 imitation and of gratitude. Strangers to the kennel, man late and 

 early was their only companion, and man, the fairest copy they 

 knew, they strove to resemble. By man they found themselves 

 raised above their natural place in the scale of being, for which 

 they showed their gratitude by exerting themselves to the utmost 

 to serve and please him. This mutual friendship became at length 

 so perfect that almost all nations in the hunting state, or first stage 

 of society, allowed that even in their paradise, or that "humbler 

 heaven " which they expected beyond this life, their faithful dog 

 should bear them company. Favourite dogs used, indeed, to be 

 buried with their deceased masters, in the belief that they should 

 meet "in the clouds of their rest." This practice of burying 

 favourite dogs with their deceased masters was not peculiar to the 

 ancient Scots or Celts, for we find it practised by many other 

 nations in their age of heroism. In the poem "The death of 

 Cuchullin," the lines occur, " By the dark rolling waves of Lego, 

 they raised the hero's tomb, Luath, at a distance lies, the com- 

 panion of Cuchullin at the chase." It cannot be thought that too 

 much stress is laid here on the circumstances to which this attach- 

 ment has been ascribed, if we consider that even the ox of the 

 Hottentot has acquired almost as much sagacity as has now the 

 dog of the European, and this, by Buffon, was imputed to his 

 having the same bed and board and lodging with his master. In 

 Tighmora, Duan V., the expression " his dogs are howling in their 

 place," is explained by the belief that dogs are sensible of the 

 death of their master or mistress, let such happen at ever so great 

 a distance. Numerous tales exist, as most if not all of our readers 

 are aware, as to dogs' affectionate remembrance of a lost or dead 

 master or mistress, and ancient record tells us of a famous dog 

 called " Dubh-chos " or Blackfoot, which sat for days on a rock 



