LETTER IV. 43 



to carry him to some water, which I saw near me, but I 

 could not hold him long, and as he began foaming at the 

 mouth and struggling violently to bite, I was puzzled 

 what to do with him, being without gloves. My com- 

 panion, seeing me much excited, then took the dog from 

 me, and tried to hold him, but he could not do so, and 

 he begged me to let him kill him, as the dog had bitten 

 him in the hand. " No," I said, *' you shall not kill him, 

 or we shall be fancying ourselves going mad, and the 

 very idea will be enough to make us miserable for some 

 time to come. Let him go at once." Away he went, 

 like a shot out of a gun, as far as our eyes could follow 

 him on the open moor, and we lost sight of him. 

 " There," said my companion, " I suppose you are satis- 

 fied, sir, that the dog is gone mad." **No," I replied, 

 "I am not at all satisfied about it, and more than that, I 

 hope to satisfy you, before the day is over, that such is 

 not the case." I then went down immediately to a small 

 hamlet, which lay under the hills, got some hot water, 

 and fomented the man's hand, and then applied a strong 

 mustard poultice, which I changed once or twice, and we 

 were, after some-refreshment, a little more composed. I 

 then begged my companion to go quietly home. "Pray, 

 sir," he said, "what may you be going to do on these 

 mountains alone ! " " Why," I said, " my friend, T shall 

 walk these hills, and search the ravines as long as I can 

 see, or until I find the dog, if it is till midnight." " Then, 

 sir," he said, " 1 shall go with you ; I don't care much 

 about this scratch, and I should like to know the fate of 

 the dog, and if you do not think he was mad we shall 

 find him." We accordingly made a circuit of the country, 

 making inquiries of every man we met with, but no 



