OLD ELK AND HIS DOG. 117 



'Why, True-tongue was e'en about the best still- 

 track-dog out. Old Elk said many a time, when he got 

 "corned" a little, that he loved his dog better nor 

 : whisky ; and that he did love, you may stake high.' 



' Well, so do you, for that matter.' 



The hunter little heeded the interruption, but con- 

 tinued his tale. 



' Old Elk and his dog lived together, and used up a 

 pretty lot of deer and varmint, till at last old True- 

 ton o-ue gave in. Elk was mortal vexed at that, and out 

 of respect for his old comrade tanned the dog^s hide, 

 which he carried about for a long time, till one day, 

 when he wanted a patch for his greasy old buckskin 

 inexpressibles, and couldn't find anything else, why, he 

 claps on a bit of old True-tongue's hide. Always after 

 that old Elk found more deer than ever, for as soon as 

 ever he came near one, or any kind of varmint, why, 

 the patch would swell up, and strain and throb so much 

 that it nearly burst the stitches ! ' 



' You don't expect us to believe that ? ' cried all who 



heard the tale. 



« Ah 1 I mean to serve old Rush like that when he 

 dies,' responded the storyteller, ' perhaps he'll help me 

 the same way.' 



