160 ANIMAL ARTISANS 



in a general way it is only animals which are rather 

 disregarded by those about the house that are par- 

 ticularly likely to strike up curious friendships with 

 what would apparently be very unsuitable companions. 

 There was recently at Clifton Hampden, on the 

 Thames, a dog which lived at the Bridge House, but 

 was not in the least interested either in people or in 

 boating. Instead of barking and being important 

 when parties arrived at the boating-raft, or helping 

 to take the tolls at the bridge, or generally taking 

 the active and fussy interest in the business of his 

 master which most dogs show, he preferred to associate 

 entirely with a horse and a donkey kept in a meadow 

 next to the bridge. 



The three friends used to spend all day out in the 

 field, the dog lying quietly curled up asleep in the 

 grass if it were fine, or watching the others graze. 

 If it rained he would go and lie against the back 

 of a shed, where he could see the horse, and to 

 which the latter sometimes also came for ^shelter. 

 He only appeared at the house when the horse was 

 fetched to be harnessed, when he would trot with 

 the cart, and as soon as the horse returned and was 

 unharnessed, would return with it to the field. In 

 time this dog became so extremely " horsey " in his 

 tastes that he took to eating oats when his friend 

 was fed. It was the custom to put the horse's 

 feed of oats in a tin pan and set this on the floating 

 landing-stage or raft used by boating parties, in order 

 to get the old horse to stand in the water for the 

 benefit of his legs ; while at the same time the donkey, 



