DOG STORIES 271 



There is a story, too, of a pony who would point ; but 

 there was a trick about this. A horse-dealer had a pony 

 which he was anxious to sell to a sporting squire. He 

 said that the pony would find a hare and stand it as 

 staunchly as any pointer in the squire's kennels. Riding 

 to a place where hares abounded, the dealer soon spied 

 one. Knowing that a dig of the spur would instantly 

 bring his pony to a dead stop, a sharp dig was given 

 and an equally sharp pull-up resulted. " A hare some- 

 where," said the dealer, and a moment later up got 

 puss. The simple-minded squire at once agreed to buy 

 the pony, and mounted his new purchase. In crossing 

 a bridge he applied his spur, as the pony hung a bit at 

 a little rise. Instantly the pony stopped and "pointed." 

 " Here, I say, what does this mean ? " exclaimed the squire 

 testily. " Why, by Jove ! he's stood a trout," cried the 

 dealer ; " if I'd knowed he'd stand trout I wouldn't ha' 

 sold him for double the money." 



An old sportsman named John Parsons, having lost 

 the use of his legs and being passionately fond of shooting, 

 drove about the fields in a light gig drawn by a donkey, 

 which he declared would find a hare and stand like a 

 pointer. And I believe the late Mr E. H. Budd, the 

 cricketer, was one of those who tested his declaration 

 and found it true. 



Some thirty years ago I saw a wonderful feat of retrieving 

 performed by a spaniel bitch at Rugby on a pitch-dark 

 night. A penny piece was thrown well into a field of 

 standing corn ; the spaniel was ordered to fetch it, and 

 fetch it she did in an extraordinary short time. In order 

 to bother her, her owner would pretend to throw the penny 

 in one direction, and, directly the bitch darted forward, 

 would send it flying in the other. But she was too sharp 

 for that, and always brought back the penny. She would 

 fetch her master's slippers from the cupboard at night, and 

 in order to save a second journey used to push one slipper 

 into the other. 



A man named Douglas had a bitch who, when her master 

 was out shooting one day, to his great surprise brought his 

 watch and laid it at his feet. He had no idea that he 



