232 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



In a short time he perfectly understood my meaning ; 

 and after a little, I was wont to send him many miles 

 home with some indifferent message, written on a 

 piece of paper and tied to his collar, just for practice; 

 but occasionally I found it a most useful acquirement. 

 Those at home were instructed to be sure, when he 

 appeared with my message, to pet and praise him, 

 and send him back with a reply of some sort, a note 

 or small parcel, and instruct him to go to his " master." 

 I was amazed and delighted at his quickness of com- 

 prehension and readiness to obey. Teaching him was 

 the easiest thing in the world. My order, conveyed 

 in the invariable stereotyped formula, "Home, Slop, 

 home, quick ! " in a very short time came to be in- 

 stantly and cheerfully obeyed ; and the return order, 

 "To your master. Slop," with at least equal alacrity. 

 I little thought that a day would come when I 

 should owe my life to Slop's faithfulness as my 

 messenger. 



" Our house, as I formerly stated, but may here 

 repeat, was situated near the head of the bay of Balta- 

 sound. Across the opening of the bay eastward, 

 stretched the small narrow uninhabited island of Balta. 

 Barely half a mile separated the two islands at the 

 nearest points. One fine autumn day I embarked 

 in my little pleasure-boat, and sailed down the bay 

 to Balta to shoot rabbits, Slop my only companion. 

 Near the extreme point of Balta, and just before landing, 

 I caught sight of a Great Northern Diver swimming 

 along-shore. It had never been my good fortune to 



