IN BOOKS AND REAL LIFE 215 



visits of the stable cat were poor consolation. 

 Then when the key is turned upon him at night, I 

 daresay he feels like the soldier under punishment 

 when sentenced to the dark cells. All the same, 

 that dog, with food in plenty, water-trough well 

 filled, and an abundance of wheat-straw, is not to 

 be pitied. He has the free play of his limbs, his 

 shapes are not spoiled, and his coat is sleek and 

 shining. 



You cannot say so much for the captive on 

 chain. If he is of a lively disposition, he is always 

 plunging forward when any one passes, either in 

 sheer sociability, or to get a pat or pull of the ear, 

 or in the elusive hope of having a bite at the legs 

 of a beggar or butcher's boy. So, especially before 

 bones and muscles are set, shoulders and loins are 

 apt to be dragged out of symmetry. Then the 

 collar rubs the hair off the neck, and the ribs are 

 fretted against the door of the kennel. For every 

 reason, the longer the chain is the better, though it 

 should have a swivel attached, to prevent entang- 

 ling, and the kennel should be against a wall, so 

 that the dog may not wind himself up. Chaining 

 may be unavoidable, but it tends to make an ami- 

 able dog savage, even when malicious people are 

 not suffered to play tricks with him, keeping just 

 beyond his reach. Yet with a long chain and a 

 sweet temper, and without ever stretching his legs 

 beyond their cramped precincts, a dog may rub 

 through a long life wonderfully well. I never had a 

 dog I loved better than a magnificent Esquimaux ; 



