; THE DOG. 79 



The merchant and his dog. 



began to return home. His faithful dog, as if 

 he entered into his master's feelings, frisked 

 round the horse, barked, and jumped, and seemed 

 to participate his joy. 



The merchant,, after riding some miles, alighted 

 to repose himself under an agreeable shade, and, 

 taking the bag of money in his hand, laid it down 

 by his side under a hedge, and, on remounting, 

 forgot it. The dog perceived his lapse of recol- 

 lection, and wishing to rectify it, ran to fetch the 

 bag; but it was too heavy for him to drag along. 

 He then ran to his master, and, by crying, bark- 

 ing, and howling, seemed to remind him of his 

 mistake. The merchant understood not his lan- 

 guage; but the assiduous creature persevered in 

 its efforts, and, after trying to stop the horse in 

 vain, at last began to bite his heels. 



The merchant, absorbed in some reverie, 

 wholly overlooked the real object of his affecti- 

 onate attendant's importunity, but entertained 

 the alarming apprehension that he was gone mad. 

 Full of this suspicion, in crossing a brook, he 

 turned back to look if the dog would drink. The 

 animal was too intent on its master's business to 

 think of itself; it continued to bark and bite with 

 greater violence than before. 



" Mercy !" cried the afflicted merchant, " it 

 must be so; my poor dog is certainly mad : what 

 must I do? I must kill him, lest some greater 

 misfortune befal me; but with what regret ! Oh, 

 could I find any one to perform this cruel office 



VOL. 11. NO. x. L 



