44 ' British War Dogs 



of frightening them, and reducing them to civility, they 

 conceived such horror of the Spaniards, that they resolved 

 to detest and fly their sight for ever ; hence the greatest 

 part died in caves and subterranean places of wood and 

 mountains, in which places I have myself often seen great 

 numbers of human bones." 



One is indeed glad that the functions of the modern 

 war dog with civilized armies no longer include these 

 ferocious characteristics, but, on the contrary, are all 

 directed to the saving of life instead of destroying it. 



It is also interesting to find, that in very much later 

 times, another enemy of the Spaniards might be said to have 

 distinctly " scored off " them by means of dogs. I quote 

 the following remarks from the Daily Telegraph, which 

 paper sent a reporter to me to obtain information as to the 

 Spanish campaign against the Riffs in Morocco. I had 

 gone to join the Spaniards in this campaign with one of 

 my own hounds for purposes of experiment, at the request 

 of King Alfonso. 



" They (the Riffs) have learned the value of dogs in war- 

 fare. For instance, at night, a Riff could creep towards 

 the Spanish outposts with his dog. Having gone part of 

 the way with the animal, he would send it on, and himself 

 retire. The dog, on hearing the Spanish sent^, would 

 bark, and the Riffs from places of safety would concen- 

 trate their fire in the direction whence the barking proceeded, 

 giving time for the knowing animal to retreat. Or perhaps 

 the sentry would give himself away by firing at the dog, 

 and so reveal his position. 



" Another trick, which they successfully practised, was to 

 put a burnous and turban on a dog, and send him along 

 from point to point in front of the Spanish lines. At a 

 distance, the dog looked very like a man creeping along, 



