80 HY OLD DOG TRIM. 



a quizzical glance out of the corner of his eye up to me, he 

 walked up to him wagging his tail, and for half a minute 

 looked at him with such a comical expression that I could 

 not help laughing ; then ho touched his nose to him ao if to 

 see if he were alive, and moved a step in front and suddenly 

 froze in his tracks. I had supposed, until now, that Trim 

 was pointing the old scent where the birds rose a half hour 

 before, but knowing that the old dog would not do this, I 

 began to think that there was more to the circus than ap- 

 peared in the bills, so I stepped in, ahead, when up rose a 

 quail that had been left. With a mental prayer that I might 

 .be loaded with straight powder I pulled the trigger and had 

 the satisfaction of seeing the bird tumble. More than pleased 

 with the whole performance, I loaded up and ordered the old 

 dog to fetch, when Trim, with a rush like the swoop of an 

 eagle, fairly distanced him, and picking up the bird returned, 

 at a two-forty gait, and laid it in my hand without ruffling a 

 feather. To say that I was happy does not express more 

 than half of it ; I was nearly delirious with joy, and I fear 

 that I cut some foolish capers and said many silly things. It 

 was nearly an hour before I felt steady enough to continue 

 my hunt. Somehow I did not expect to ever see him make 

 another point, and was very agreeably surprised, when I 

 ordered the old dog on, to see Trim take the gait of a race- 

 horse and quarter his ground like a veteran. He soon struck 

 scent, and made a another beautiful point; the old dog 

 backed him this time without any misgiving ; I walked up 

 to him and gave him a loving pat, when he moved on and I 

 followed closj to him for a quarter of a mile, and such 

 beautiful roading I never saw before; he never showed the 

 least doubt or hesitancy, but, with his head high in the air, 

 followed the birds through brake and briar patch, and finally 

 brought up at the edge of a small clump of bushes. After 

 admiring his beautiful pose a moment I kicked the bnshes, 

 when up rose a full bevy of quails. I think that the excite- 

 ment that I had gone through had unnerved me, as I did 

 not harm a feather with either barrel. Taking a little time 

 to recover my balance, I followed them up, and found them 



