MY OLD DOG TRIM. 89 



over the woodcock, which he saw was trying to get away, 

 he dropped ihe grouse and seized the woodcock, then seeing 

 the grouse making off he changed again; after swapping 

 three or four times he deliberately shut his jaw3 on the 

 woodcock, and, laying him down, picked up the grouse, and 

 bringing him in relumed and brought the woodcock and 

 carried it straight to my friend, reasoning that he would not 

 say a word, whereas, if he brought it to me, I might scold 

 him for biting it. Hi 3 conduct was the more singular, as he 

 was very jealous that I should have a'l the birds, and no one 

 could coax him to give up a single one. He was an inde- 

 fatigab'e worker and disliked to stop a moment, but would 

 work from morning until nigh: ; it was hard work to keep 

 him quiet when I sat down to rest or eat a lunch. One day 

 we had tramped a long distance, and coming out on the 

 sunny side of the woods we sat down and took a long rest ; 

 when we got ready to start Trim was missing ; I called and 

 whistled, but he did not come; casting my eyes across the 

 open lot I saw him two hundred yards away, at the far edge, 

 pointing directly toward us. When we came up to him he 

 brok3 his point, and wheeling round in the opposite direction 

 led us a quarter of a mile away and came to a point at the 

 edge of a sluble field; moving on we soon flushed a nob'e 

 bevy of quail. It wa3 plain to be seen that he had been thee 

 before, as his footprints were visible on the soft ground ; he 

 evidently reasoned that we would never find him, and, to let 

 us know that he had found game, delibrately broke his point, 

 and retracing his steps to where we cou'd see him, pointedly 

 told us t ) come along. This peculiar trait sooa became 

 habitual with him, and ever after we let him have his own 

 way, knowing that if he found birds he wuuld show himself 

 and cause us no trouble to look him up. I found this habit 

 very useful the next season, as, owing to a severe cat on my 

 ankle, I was incapacitated from walking very far. I would 

 sit in the wagon and let him go, whiling away the moments, 

 like the "lone fisherman," in '-glorious anticipation," keep- 

 ing a sharp watch in every direction, and wondering at what 

 point he would make his appearance. At game was very 



