OH. xv.] RAP. 273 



roused, he could stand it no longer. Leaving his companion, he 

 crossed at full speed to the other side of the valley, not, as might 

 possibly be surmised, to wreak his vengeance upon the old pointer, 

 but, strange to say, to hunt at his best pace the good ground in 

 front of his rival, and raise, not point, every grouse he could find. 

 When he conceived he had done enough mischief, or perhaps thought 



he had driven a fair proportion of birds to Lord M f 's side of 



the valley, he quietly returned to his usual duties duties which, 

 be it remarked, he always performed most steadily. As an evidence 

 on the evening of that very day, instead of pointing, as was his 

 wont, he dropped, on unexpectedly getting into the midst of a pack, 

 and did not stir an inch until all the birds had successively risen. 

 You will surely think his right to be considered a first-rate tactician 

 is fully proved : when you read 530, you will perhaps allow that 

 "Suwarrow" has an equally good, if not superior, claim to the 

 title. 



493. And will not these evidences of great sagacity and, except 

 in the few last cases, instances of good breaking and they might be 

 multiplied, I was nearly saying, ad infinitum, [for every sportsman 

 could furnish some convince you, that it is our own fault, if our 

 high-bred pointers, setters, and retrievers (which can scarcely be 

 surpassed in docility and intelligence), are indifferently educated ? 

 It is not that they cannot understand, but that we, either for want of 

 patience or reflection, cannot make ourselves understood. The fault 

 is ours, not theirs. They might, indeed, almost be taught anything 

 even things quite opposed to their nature if we did but act more 

 reasonably, and were not in most cases supinely content to stop so 

 very far short of perfection, apparently grudging a little additional 

 trouble. 



494. In the "Sporting Magazine" for May, 1834, a likeness is 

 given of an admirable pointer named "Rap," of whom it is recorded 

 that " he often hunted in the woods with springers and terriers, all 

 which time he played in both characters, and in both excelled. No 

 sooner, however, had he returned to his especial occupation, as a 

 pointer, than he became as steady as ever." 



495. I knew intimately an excellent shot (T. F e, of the 76th), 



who, some years ago, during one of the many disturbances in County 

 Tipperary, was quartered with a detachment of men at a gentle- 

 man's house, in rather a wild part of the country. The proprietor 

 kept a small scratch-pack of harriers, with which the officer's pointer, 

 called Shot, became very intimate. When the hunting season com- 

 menced, Shot accompanied them to the field, joined in the chase, 

 and performed uncommonly well ; indeed, he frequently led the 

 pack, and yet, singular to say, he continued as steady as possible 

 when he was shot to. As you may well suppose, it was a source of 

 much fun and laughter to the Nimrods to see, regularly hunting 

 with their harriers, a dog which possibly had stanchly pointed at 

 birds the preceding day. 



496. Though I had bred and educated him myself, he was the 

 dog of which I spoke (139) as behaving so well on the Galtee moun- 



T 



