26 British War Dogs 



deep bark, so that, by his bold baying, he may threaten on 

 all sides, and frighten away prowlers. He should have a 

 fierce light in his eyes, portending the lightning attack on 

 the rash enemy. He should be black in his coat, in order 

 to appear more fearful to the thieves in the daylight, and 

 being of the same shade as night itself, to be able to make 

 his way quite unseen by enemies and thieves." 



A writer in the Spectator gives an interesting account of 

 the use of this class of dog in the war of the Spanish Con- 

 quest in America. He says : 



" The dogs of the conquistador es were of a race of large 

 mastiffs. One of them, called Bercerrillo, was of enormous 

 size ; he was so much appreciated for his ferocity that he 

 got double rations, and his master received a salary for his 

 services. Another hound named Leoncico, which belonged 

 to Balboa, the discoverer of the South Sea, always fought 

 at the side of his master, who drew an officer's pay for the 

 services of the animal. When Jimenez de Quesada came 

 from Spain to conquer the empire of the Chibchas (to-day 

 Colombia), he brought with him a large dog ; but the most 

 murderous and savage pack of canine conquistador es was 

 that brought from Spain by Federmann, one of the Germans 

 who followed Charles V. to the Peninsula. The animals 

 of this last-mentioned lot were of the most savage breed, 

 so much so that, according to a modern Colombian writer, 

 the unfortunate natives feared them more than a regiment 

 of harquebusiers. All these dogs wore armour (a coverlet 

 lined with cotton) to preserve them against the poisoned 

 arms of the natives." 



Attila, King of the Huns, one of the great military com- 

 manders of the early centuries, always used dogs to guard 

 the approaches to his camp. 



Camerarius also refers to two other writers, Coelius 



