THE DOGS COME TO A POINT. 65 



respiration. He seemed as loath to let the scent of 

 the chicken pass from his nostrils as a hungry news- 

 boy is to quit the savory precincts of Delmonico's 

 kitchen window. The setter's old bones appeared to 

 renew their youth under the excitement, and he was 

 as .active as a retired war-horse suddenly plunged 

 into battle. 



Both dogs came simultaneously to a point tails 

 curved up and rigid, each body motionless as if cut 

 in marble and one forepaw lifted. No wonder so 

 many men are wild with a passion for hunting. Kind 

 Providence smiles upon the legitimate sport from 

 conception to close, and gives us a pose to start with 

 fascinating to any lover of the beautiful, whether 

 hunter or not. But one must not pause to moralize 

 while dogs are on the point, or he will have more 

 philosophy than chickens. 



All the party had got safely to ground and were 

 behind the dogs, with guns ready and eyes eagerly 

 fastened on the thick grass which concealed its treas- 

 ure as completely as if it had been a thousand miles 

 below its roots, or on the opposite side of this mun 

 dane sphere in China. Not a thing was visible within 

 fifty yards of our noses save two dogs standing mo- 

 tionless, with stiffened tails and eyes fixed on, and 

 nozzles pointed toward, a spot in the sea of brown, 

 withered grass, not ten feet away. 



The Professor took out his lens, Mr. Colon let 

 down the hammers of his gun and cocked them again, 

 to be sure all was right, while Sachem wore a puzzled 

 expression as if undecided whether the attitude of 

 the dogs indicated any thing particular or not. The 

 4 



