1 84 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



very easily. The " Devil " had been obviously named for his 

 looks. He was a curly sandy-brown, with whiskers like an 

 otter hound. His victory reached the ears of the Welsh 

 Church, and caused remonstrance against taking in vain names 

 of potent powers. This had so much effect on the Welsh 

 squire, that the following year he entered a son of the Devil 

 and called it " Country Rector," possibly thereby avoiding the 

 danger he had been cautioned against. That year it was 

 clear once more that the show beauties were out-classed, 

 and probably that was the reason why, when the Vaynol 

 ground was no longer available, no other trials except the 

 Sleaford failures were instituted for thirty years, or until those 

 of the Retriever Society, which are now held annually. These 

 began about the opening of the new century, and appear 

 likely to see it out. But the first meeting under it was a 

 failure. The winning dog was either very old or very slow, 

 and it was not until the following year that any smart work 

 was seen. This was done by Mr. Abbott's Rust, whose name 

 explains her colour and appearance ; but she did some 

 brilliant work, especially when she was set to wipe the eye of 

 one which appeared to have a good chance until she had 

 failed at a running pheasant, one that gave Rust no trouble 

 whatever ten minutes later, and with so much the worse chance. 

 Rust on that occasion was the only dog present that either 

 by pedigree or reversion went back to the old race of 

 retrievers. This was reminiscent of the " Devil " triumph, and 

 was far from encouraging to the beauty men. The following 

 season Rust was again out, but far too fat and sleek to do 

 herself justice, and she was beaten by the life of idleness she 

 had been leading as a hearth-dog, and also by a very nice 

 black bitch with some white upon it, belonging to the late Mr. 

 Charles Eley, whose son, Mr. C. C. Eley, had taken second 

 with a nice-looking black in Rust's year. Three Messrs. Eley 

 were in the field for honours in the following years, and by 

 the assistance of Satanella, a bitch without known pedigree, 

 and Sandiway Major (by Wimpole Peter) they headed the 

 working division. Sandiway Major was a triumph for the 



