154 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



A vigilant guardian. 



herself laughed at for her pains. But their ridi- 

 cule was soon converted into admiration on being 

 informed that the kitchen had fallen in, the very 

 instant Mrs. Yearsley had shut the street-door, 

 and that the wash-bowl she had left was crushed 

 into a thousand pieces. The animal was pre- 

 served twelve or thirteen years after, till she had 

 turned her sixteenth, when her death was a little 

 accelerated by the bile of a mad dog. 



A few years since, a distiller, who lived at 

 Chelsea, had a middle-sized brown dog, of the 

 mixed breed, between the cur and spaniel, which 

 had received so complete an education from the 

 porter, that he was considered a very valuable ac- 

 quisition. This porter generally used to carry 

 out the liquors, to the neighbouring customers, 

 in small casks, tied up in a coarse bag, or put in 

 a barr6w ; and whenever the man thought pro- 

 per to refresh himself, he would stop the barrow, 

 and calling Basto, (which was the dog's name,) 

 in a very peremptory manner, bid him mind the 

 bag and away he went to drink, and frequently 

 left the barrow in the middle of the street. Basto 

 always rested near his trust, and sometimes ap-? 

 parently asleep, which induced many idle people, 

 \\lio, seeing a bag in the road without an owner, 

 to attempt stealing the same; but no sooner had 

 they endeavoured to decamp with the prize, than 

 this vigilant animal flew at them with such outi 

 ruge, as obliged them immediately to relinquish 

 the undertaking : and glad were they to escispc 



