CHAP, xiv. j SAGACITY OF A RETRIEVKR. 109 



was in the room. One day, for some reason, I did not take 

 him : in consequence of this, invariably when he heard us at night 

 forming our plan to beat the woods, Rover started alone very 

 early in the morning, and met us up there. He always went 

 to the cottage where we assembled, and sitting on a hillock 

 in front of it, which commanded a view of the road by which 

 we came, waited for us ; when he saw us coming, he met us 

 with a peculiar kind of grin on his face, expressing, as well as 

 words could, his half doubt of being well received, in conse- 

 quence of his having come without permission : the moment he 

 saw that I was not angry with him, he threw off all his affectation 

 of shyness, and barked and jumped upon me with the most grate- 

 ful delight. 



As he was very clever at finding deer, I often sent him with 

 the beaters or hounds to assist, and he always plainly asked me on 

 starting, whether he was to go with me to the pass, or to accom- 

 pany the men. In the latter case, though a very exclusive dog 

 in his company at other times, he would go with any one of the 

 beaters, although a stranger to him, whom I told him to accom- 

 pany, and he would look to that one man for orders as long as he 

 was with him. I never lost a wounded roe when he was out, 

 for once on the track he would stick to it, the whole day if 

 necessary, not fatiguing himself uselessly, but quietly and de- 

 terminedly following it up. If the roe fell and he found it, he 

 would return to me, and then lead me up to the animal, what- 

 ever the distance might be. With red-deer he was also most 

 useful. The first time that he saw me kill a deer he was very 

 much surprised ; I was walking alone with him through some 

 woods in Ross-shire, looking for woodcocks ; I had killed two or 

 three, when I saw such recent signs of deer, that I drew the shot 

 from one barrel, and replaced it with ball. I then continued my 

 walk. Before I had gone far, a fine barren hind sprung out of 

 a thicket, and as she crossed a small hollow, going directly away 

 from me, I fired at her, breaking her backbone with the bullet ; 

 of course she dropped immediately, and Rover, who was a short 

 distance behind me, rushed forward in the direction of the shot, 

 expecting to have to pick up a woodcock ; but on coming up to 

 the hind, who was struggling on the ground, he ran round her 

 with a look of astonishment, and then came back to me with an 



