MT OLD BOG TRIM. 81 



among some scattered birches. Trim behaved beautifully, 

 of his own accord he took the wind, and with head up, he 

 would unerringly locate every bird. 



I had always considered the old dog as first rate, and he 

 was a hard dog to beat, but he was just nowhere. Trim 

 found all the birds and p Dinted them in grand style; his 

 every movement was beautiful to see ; talk of the poetry of 

 motion ; here it was exemplified. Every stride was a stanza, 

 and every point that he made was a whole volume. It was 

 with feelings of deep, heartfelt satisfaction that I wended 

 my way home. I felt as though I was walking on air; I 

 had visions of glorious -sport m the future ; henceforth I 

 should feast my fill, and enjoy to the full that ecstatic feeling 

 of almost perfect bliss that only he can know who has a per- 

 fect dog. 



When I told my father in glowing language the result of 

 Trim's last trial he did not entirely disbelieve me, as he knew 

 that I always carried my little hatchet; but expressed a 

 strong desire to go out wi.h me the next day and see this 

 paragon, and judge for himself. The next morning we were 

 early afoot and soon arrived at the covert. Giving Trim 

 the word he was off like a shot ; we were in an alder run 

 some fifty yards in width, with a broad ditch running the 

 whole length ; Trim was covering the whole ground, leaping 

 the di'ch at every turn. We had proceeded some distance, 

 when, just as he rose to clear the ditch, he struck scent, and, 

 as he had not fairly extended himself for the leap, in he went 

 neck and heels. When we got there we could only see the 

 top of his head and the end of his nose ; the rest of him had 

 sunk in the mud with which the ditch was filled ; but he had 

 not broken his point ; he was rigid as marble. After a little 

 trouble I succeeded in getting across to where I could reach 

 him, and, grasping his collar, I landed him on the bank and 

 scraped the mud from him. He never moved a muscle, but, 

 if anything, was more rigid than before. I stepped in to 

 raise the bird, supposing that there must be one close by, 

 when he carefully moved forward ; we had gone but a few 

 steps before I noticed that his style was altogether different 



