THE DOG. 7? 



A waterman's dog. 



danger, learned to distinguish both the streets 

 and houses where he was accustomed to receive 

 alms twice or thrice a week. Whenever he came 

 to any of those streets, with which he was well 

 acquainted, he would not leave it till a call had 

 been made at every house where his master was 

 usually successful in his petitions. When the 

 mendicant began to ask alms, the dog lay down 

 to rest ; but the man was no sooner served or re- 

 fused, than the dog rose spontaneously, and with- 

 out either order or sign, proceeded to the other 

 houses where the beggar generally received some 

 gratuity. " 1 observed/' says he, " not without 

 pleasure and surprise^,' that when a halfpenny was 

 thrown from a window, such was the sagacity 

 and attention of this dog, that he went about in. 

 quest of it, took it 'from the ground with his 

 mouth, and put into the blind man's hat. Even, 

 when bread was thrown down, the animal would 

 not taste it, unless he received it from the hand 

 of his master. 



In the year 1760, while a waterman of Ham- 

 mersmith was sleeping in his boat, the vessel 

 broke from her moorings, and was carried by the 

 tide, under a West-country barge. Fortunately 

 for the man, his dog happened to be with him ; 

 and the sagacious animal awakened him by paw- 

 ing his face, and pulling the collar of his coat, at 

 the instant the boat was filling with water: he 

 seized the opportunity, and thus saved himself 

 from otherwise inevitable destruction. 



