THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. Ill 



Accidents prevented, &c. 



as if sensible of the importance of the charge, 

 which, in all probability, was delivered to him by 

 his perishing master, at length leaped fawningly 

 against the breast of a man who had attracted 

 his notice among the crowd, and delivered the 

 book to him. He then returned to the place 

 where he had landed ; and watched with great 

 attention for all the things that came from the 

 wrecked vessel, seizing them, and endeavoring to 

 bring them to land. 



In the month of December 1803, as a gentle- 

 man was going along the path that leads from 

 Kennington Common to Camberwell, and which 

 stands between two ditches, he observed several 

 children playing at a distance, and almost at the 

 same instant perceived one of them fall into the 

 ditch; he hastened to the spot, accompanied by 

 a very large Newfoundland dog he had with 

 him ; the sagacious animal no sooner perceived 

 the child struggling in the water, than he plunged 

 in, and seizing her by the hair of her head, 

 brought her with some difficulty to the side of 

 the foot-path, when, with the assistance of his 

 master, she was hoisted upon terra Jirma, without 

 sustaining any other injury than a violent retch- 

 ing, occasioned by the stagnant water she had 

 swallowed, and which was of so foul a nature, 

 that it would have caused almost immediate suf- 

 focation. The gentleman saw the child safe 

 home to its parents, who lived near at hand, and 

 gave them a proper caution against sending their 

 VOL. u.- NO. x. P 



