BRAN AND PHORP. 313 



" The hind leg like a hook or bent bow, 

 The breast like that of a garron *, 

 The ear like a leaf." 



Such would Fingal, the chief of heroes, select from 

 amongst the young of his hunting dogs. 



Phorp was black in colour, and his points are thus 

 described : 



" Two yellow feet, such as Bran had ; 

 Two black eyes, 

 And a white breast ; 

 A back narrow and fair, 

 As required for hunting ; 

 And two erect ears of a dark brown red." 



Towards the close of the day, after some severe runs, 

 which, however, still left the comparative merits of the 

 two dogs a subject of hot dispute, Bran and Phorp were 

 brought front to front to prove their courage ; and they 

 were no sooner untied, than they sprang at each other, 

 and fought desperately. Phorp seemed about to overcome 

 Bran, when his master, the Sutherland chief, unwilling 

 that either of them should be killed, called out, " Let each 

 of us take away his dog." Fingal objected to this; where- 

 upon the Sutherland chief said with a taunt, that " it was 

 now evident that the Fingalians did not possess a dog that 

 could match with Phorp" 



Angered and mortified, Fingal immediately extended 

 " his venomous paw," as it is called (for the tradition re- 



* A stout gelding. 



