94 DAYS IN THE OPEN 



zest. If the master failed to set him to work for 

 a day or so the dog would bring the trolling line in 

 his mouth and plead as well as a dumb animal 

 can to be allowed to go fishing. If he caught a 

 bass he would give two barks to announce the 

 capture, and if a pike three barks, except in the case 

 of an exceptionally large one, in which case he 

 barked from the time the fish struck until he had 

 landed it. If he had the misfortune to hook a 

 rock-bass or a perch he would sneak down the 

 shore to some unfrequented spot and there gnaw 

 the intruder off the hook and then go back to work 

 again. Would that we could record a long life for 

 this most wonderful animal, but, alas! he came to 

 an untimely end. When but four years of age, in 

 the fulness of his powers, he begged to go fishing 

 one lowering day. Soon after he had begun troll- 

 ing up and down the shore the master heard his 

 bark of victory and, as it was continued, knew that 

 he had hooked a large fish. The barks soon took 

 on a note of anxiety, gradually merging into fear. 

 Rushing down to the shore the horrified farmer 

 was just in time to see the dog being rapidly drawn 

 backward despite his most heroic efforts. A mo- 

 ment later and a great pair of jaws opened and 

 enveloped both dog and bark. When, now and 

 then, on cloudy days, a sound comes across the 

 water that somewhat resembles a bark, the resi- 

 dents say to each other, " There is the big pike 

 that swallowed Perkins' dog." (The writer 



