40 British War Dogs 



that he was present at the dacoity and knew nothing about 

 it. How comes it that the dog tracked you for four and 

 a half miles from the scene of the dacoity up to your 

 house ? M ara replied that he did not know, but then volun- 

 teered the following statement quite on his own account : 



" ' Agar Kutta aisa patta pagata Koon shars chouri 

 Karskta.' A translation of this being : ' When the dog 

 tracks in this manner, what chance has a fellow of com- 

 mitting thefts ? ' " 



The present-day hound has in nearly every case lost all 

 savage traits, and concentrates all its ardour on the single 

 fact of running his quarry to earth, and has no desire to 

 injure him in any way when it comes up with him. As a 

 matter of fact, the animal fawns on him usually, or, at all 

 events, merely moves around him in a desultory manner. 

 I have only known two hounds that were dangerous when 

 on the trail. One of these, was very incensed when it came 

 across anyone in the line of trail, and would have attacked 

 them, if it could have done so ; but this was an exceptional 

 case, and must have been a throw-back to ancestors of 

 previous centuries, in whom a relentless and savage spirit 

 was cultivated and appreciated. 



There was a certain species into which it must be sus- 

 pected there had been introduced a strain of mastiff, and 

 which went by the name of Cuban bloodhounds. These 

 dogs undoubtedly had tracking powers, but which were 

 allied to a most determined and aggressive spirit. 



To quote Jesse again : " A hundred of these sagacious, 

 but savage dogs, were sent, in 1795, from Havana to 

 Jamaica, to extinguish the Maroon War, which at that 

 time was fiercely raging. They were accompanied by 

 forty Spanish Chasseurs, chiefly people of colour, and their 

 appearance and that of the dogs struck terror into the 



