i8 The Dog Book 



(hunting dog called * boar-desiring,' vara hayus)^ and the gift of a kennel of 

 one hundred dogs is gratefully acknowledged. . . . Here is a lullaby 

 from the Rig- Veda which shows on how familiar a footing the dog stood: 



"Sleep the mother, sleep the father, 

 Sleep the dog, and sleep the master. 

 Sleep may all the blood relations, 

 Sleef> the people round about." 



It is in the Rig- Veda that we read of the good old monarch who on his 

 death proceeds to heaven accompanied by his wife, his brothers and a dog. 

 His human companions drop off one by one and he reaches the end of his 

 journey with only the dog. The god appears: "Enter, O King!" "But 

 not without this faithful dog." "Desert the dog," commands the god; 

 "there is no lack of mercy in doing so." "I will either not share in your 

 heavenly world, or share it with this faithful attendant," is the king's re- 

 sponse. The god rejoins: "There is no place in heaven for men with 

 dogs." The king replies: "To desert a faithful friend is as great a sin 

 as to slay a priest." 



Indebtedness is acknowledged to Professor A. V. Williams Jackson of 

 Columbia University for suggestions with regard to these books, he being 

 the author of "Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ancient Iran." Professor Jackson, 

 who has visited the Iranian section of Asia and examined the remains of 

 the temples at Persepolis and the caves in the Taht-i-Bostan valley, was of 

 the opinion that perhaps dogs were represented on the bas-relief of the deer- 

 hunt in the caves. This in response to our statement that, notwithstand- 

 ing the status of the dog in ancient Persia, we had found no art reproduction 

 of one. On referring to Kiash's work as suggested by him we discovered 

 that the illustration was one we had studied and rejected, having found it 

 in another work on Persian antiquities. 



There are two bas-reliefs cut in the rock in this cave, one representing 

 the king on a boar-hunt. The reproduction shows it to be a well-executed 

 piece of work, but there is not a dog to be seen. The deer-hunt shows 

 that the hattue and carted deer are not modern inventions of the dilettante 

 sportsman. The king accompanied by his orchestra and a troupe of sing- 

 ing girls is shown in three different parts of a large inclosure. To the right 

 of this are three connecting pens containing deer, which are liberated and 

 driven into the large enclosure, and when killed are thrown over the fence 



