206 KRIDER'S SPORTING ANECDOTES. 



house, when, as I fired at a snipe which rose in 

 front of me, I observed the farmer's dog coming 

 down the slope at full speed, and had barely time 

 to whistle in Czar, before the enraged brute 

 dashed into a run between us, struggled through 

 its oozy sides and came at me open mouthed. I 

 presented the muzzle of the gun, which he 

 eagerly seized, trying his teeth upon it several 

 times, though I forbore to fire the remaining 

 barrel, savage as he seemed, with his fierce eyes, 

 cropt ears, broad, bull-terrier head, and jaws like 

 those of a wolf trap. I was more afraid of his 

 getting hold Czar, who had, himself, a small 

 spice of Satan in his composition, when suddenly 

 he wheeled about, keeping all the time perfectly 

 mute, save a hyena snarl, and re-crossing the run, 

 waded through the mud and leisurely ascended 

 the hill. Re-loading the empty barrel, I ad- 

 vanced still nearer the house and fired again, 

 when down came old Blucher a second time, 

 passed the stream with the same fierce pertina- 

 city, and again tries his teeth on *my stub and 

 twist. This time I could not forbear laughing 

 in his face, which made him more furious than 

 ever, though he made no attempt to get at me 

 or the dog, but contented himself with wreaking 

 his wrath on the gun-barrel, against which he 



