142 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



that the Rhcebe blood was as successful when crossed with the 

 Laverack race as when braced up by the cross with Duke. 

 Also that Duke's descendants from other crosses than that of 

 Rhoebe were better than any others, except her own so crossed 

 descendants. Duke and the Laveracks never were directly 

 crossed together, and there is nothing to be had from the 

 pedigree of Kate, the grand-dam of Armstrong's Dash II., 

 because it has been variously given at different times. On the 

 book, then, the merit was due to Rhcebe and Duke in equal 

 proportions, but the book is wrong. The reason for this being 

 said is that the brothers and sisters of Dan, by Duke from 

 RhoEbe, were a poor lot. They were great big 26 inch dogs 

 and 24 inch bitches, and one of them, namely Dick, in 

 appearance with Dan made the most remarkable brace that 

 ever won the stake at the National Trials, and apparently there 

 was not a pin to choose between them, except that Dan was 

 the faster. They hunted out what is now the Waterworks field 

 at Acton Reynold in a style of ranging, pointing, and backing 

 that could not be improved on even in imagination, and the 

 way they had of going down on their elbows, and standing up 

 behind, with their great flags on a line with their backs, and 

 consequently pointing upwards at an angle of 45 degrees, was 

 a revelation in style, just as the pace was, for it was so easily 

 done that they had lots of time to flick their sterns as they 

 went. When they were taken up without a mistake, no others, 

 even without a mistake too, could have been in the running. 

 But Dick was a flat-catcher, wanting in stamina, courage, and 

 in nose, for he was a bad false pointer. Dan was the only one 

 of the litter, as far as they were known to the author, that was 

 a perfectly honest dog, and exhibited no more at a field trial 

 than in private. It is therefore not possible to discredit the 

 Laverack bitches that, when crossed with Dan, again and again 

 produced litters in which there was scarcely any difference 

 between the best and the worst, and in which, when the best 

 died, the worst were good enough to find themselves running 

 against Ranger for the National Championship. But this is 

 not all the evidence in favour of the Laveracks, for, when 



