148 THE SHEPHERD'S DOG. 



under his care, broke away in the middle of the night, and 

 scampered off in three different parties across the hills, in. spite 

 of all that the shepherd and his assistant could do to keep them 

 together. " Sirrah," cried the shepherd to his dog, " they're 

 a' awa." The night was so dark that he did not see the dog, 

 but the faithful animal heard his master's words, and he imme- 

 diately set off in quest of the flock. Meanwhile, the shepherd 

 and his companion spent the night in traversing the hills for 

 miles round, but could find neither the flock nor the dog. On 

 their way home in the morning, howev 7 er, they discovered the 

 lambs at the bottom of a deep ravine called the Flesh Clench, 

 and the dog standing in front of them looking all around for 

 some relief, but still standing true to his charge. Not one 

 lamb of the whole flock was missing. 



THE ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG, OR SOUTHERN SHEEP-DOG. 



This breed seems to have originated in a cross of the colley 

 with the mastiff. While the former is the Scottish and Welsh 

 sheep-dog, the present animal is the original or true English one, 

 although the colley is now in general use on the extensive 

 downs of Wiltshire, and in some other parts of this country. 

 Our old English authors term it the shepherd's mastiff j and 

 this perhaps will account for some modern writers having 



