300 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



clothes; twice only have I used force and in self- 

 defense killed two dogs, but both of these were 

 fierce bull terriers, bred for dog fighting, and in 

 both cases there was no opportunity to engage the 

 savage creatures' attention. One dog I killed with 

 a back thrust of the painted steel-shod flag-pole 

 used by surveyors, and the other with a large 

 stone, the only weapon handy at the moment. 



A FAMOUS POINTER. 



But all dogs are not savage. Old Wallace was 

 a gentleman even if he was also a pointer dog, and 

 he had as wide a reputation for vigilance as his 

 master's silver-mounted, muzzle-loading shotgun 

 had for accuracy. 



When Wallace made a point on a covey of quail 

 he "froze" as soon as his nose caught the scent. 

 But if, after a reasonable time, no one appeared, 

 Wallace would look cautiously around to see why 

 the gunner failed to follow up the scent. 



If the hunter was inattentive, the wise old dog 

 would leave his point, tiptoe to the man and gain 

 his attention by a suppressed "hough!" Then he 

 would tiptoe back, find the game, and again re- 

 solve himself into a rigid statue of a dog. 



Wallace, the silver-mounted gun known as 

 "Old Baldface," and their owner, were known 

 from New Orleans to Lake Erie. The dog and 

 hunter have joined the great majority, but the old- 

 fashioned gun hangs in my library. 



