Sentry Dogs 227 



what the chances of the battle would have been then ! 

 What our gallant fellows did, even though surprised in 

 unreadiness by a cunning enemy, is common knowledge 

 to the world. An outcast cur marching with our force 

 that night, might have been the cause of the frustration 

 of the enemy's well-laid plans. And a great many of us 

 can remember the fearful times for our regiments during 

 the Zulu and Sudanese wars. 



" The awful nerve tension of our sentries during dark 

 nights, the straining of the feeble human senses of hearing 

 and seeing to prevent a savage and fiendish foe from sur- 

 prising and butchering the main body of our army, while 

 snatching a few hours' rest on the veldt, or in the zareba, 

 would have been much lessened, and the sense of security 

 of the resting warriors more real, had a few dogs with their 

 marvellous sight, scent and hearing, been assisting the 

 British arms. A careful scout, assisted by a trained dog 

 he knew, and which knew him, could scarcely fall into 

 ambush." 



While speaking of the American Army later on in this 

 volume, I mention the fact, that I had laid before the 

 American War Office, at their request, a scheme for the 

 employment of trained military dogs. This was before 

 the Great War. My recommendations were not adopted, 

 and the result was, that when their army arrived in Europe, 

 they had no dogs whatever, and had to borrow from the 

 French and English armies, who could ill spare them. 



It appears that another officer had already made recom- 

 mendations on the subject, and I give his statement : 



" An American officer, Captain M. F. Steele, of the 6th 

 Cavalry, after varied experience of the conditions of warfare 

 in the Philippines, strongly urges that dogs should be 



i5* 



