90 



people are aware of: an explosion of a gun is 

 an awful thing for a puppy ; he does not know 

 himself as yet, and he may not be the only one 

 who has shrunk from a first fire, and yet turned 

 out a brave fellow before the end of a campaign. 



The symptom is an awkward one, I will 

 allow; and I would that you had bolder stuff 

 to deal with, because, wherever I perceive any 

 of these early tendencies to the rear, I always 

 fear something constitutionally wrong in the 

 temper; having for its remote cause some touch 

 of bastardy at bottom, which makes but a bad 

 sort of a foundation to build upon ; requiring on 

 the part of the tutor a considerable degree of 

 care, lest a little mistake of discipline should 

 lead to that most disgraceful and most incurable 

 of all defects, the Blink. In order, however, to 

 obviate the numberless imperfections connected 

 with this kind of temper, and to inspire bold- 

 ness, I know no means so likely as never to go 

 out without a whip. This will appear para- 

 doxical, but I know no other. I recollect an 

 expression of one of the best and truest sports- 

 men I have ever known : " If a dog," said he, 

 " will not stand the whip, I can do nothing with 

 him." Assuredly, if he can not be brought to 

 endure something under the shadow of disci- 

 pline, he is utterly out of the sphere of my 



