A SPORTING TRIP 7O PRANCE. 241 



ourselves to listen to " Triton," the old colonel's 

 story : 



"Triton.* The name recalls visions and 

 scenes of long past years, of happy hours when 

 youth, and health, and happiness were with me ; 

 when I gaily bounded over the ground, gun in 

 hand, or, mounted on horseback, almost flew over 

 hill and dale, when but I sit down to tell of 

 my old friend and attached companion, ' Triton/ 

 who was a pure-bred Newfoundland of remark- 

 ably fine growth, stood wide between the legs, 

 and was altogether a very handsome well-formed 

 dog, colour black and white. 



" I took him to the Cape of Good Hope, in 

 181-, when he was about eight months old. 

 The transport in which I made my passage to 

 join the Light Dragoons, put into Funchal 

 Bay, Madeira, where we stopped three days. 



"The weather was beautiful, but very hot, 

 and many of us got into the ship's boats, and 

 plunged into the sea, which was cool and pellu- 

 cid around us. 



Triton, who had been observing all this from 

 the gangway of the vessel, where I saw him 

 * Son of Neptune, by Amphitrite. 



16 



