" GOOTY." 235 



however, the case was very different, for the 

 reciprocal affection between these two faithful 

 servants was something extraordinary. 



Ponto used to visit the pony in his stall many 

 times during the day, often carrying to him 

 biscuits or scraps of bread from his own food, 

 and Gooty would neigh and whinny in recog- 

 nition of the dog's whine. With the rest of my 

 canine followers he was ever the acknowledged 

 leader, although he used to assume quite an 

 aristocratic bearing with them, seeming at all 

 times to prefer his master's society to their diver- 

 sions. Even my huge Poligar hounds, who were 

 almost as big as donkeys, used to pay him the 

 most deferential respect ; and I have often been 

 much struck with the extraordinary power he 

 had in communicating to them his ideas and 

 wishes. 



I may very fairly attribute much of the success 

 I have had in large game shooting to the un- 

 erring instinct of my dogs in tracking. My dogs 

 never left my heel in the forest, except when set 



