1 6 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



the first prize at a show of the " Fancy " at Hull, in 

 order to use his services for a terrier bitch that they 

 possessed. Large rewards were promptly offered for the 

 recovery of the bull-dog, but he was kept for a week, 

 and after their purpose was served he was quietly put 

 in a hamper, and sent off, directed to his owner at Hull, 

 no one being a bit the wiser as to where he had been, 

 or for what reason he had been taken. 



Bull-dogs were then a very different class of dog 

 from the hideous, misshapen brutes that are now accepted 

 as the proper type. Bull-baiting had not so very long 

 been suppressed, while dog-fighting was a very popular 

 pastime, and for large stakes too. A bull-dog was a 

 working dog, and had to be an active one, while such 

 was their courage that sometimes no means whatever, 

 however cruel, could make them relax their grasp when 

 once their blood was up. Fortunately they were not a 

 quarrelsome race, but they were greatly dreaded. 



The bull-dog above mentioned was a splendid 

 specimen, with straight, well-shaped legs, a compar- 

 atively long, powerful muzzle, very muscular loins, and 

 a whip-tail. His weight was about 56 lb. Among 

 the produce of the above alliance was a puppy, named 

 " Nailer," which grew into a very powerful dog, 40 lb. 

 in weight. " Nailer " was matched against, and beat 

 every noted fighting dog in the district. His owner then 

 took him over to Kirk Hammerton, where a recently cap- 

 tured otter was kept in an iron cage, partly submerged 

 in the river Nidd, the captor deriving an income by 

 allowing any dog to tackle him, at a fixed sum. Up to 

 this date every dog had been easily beaten, but on 

 " Nailer " being put into the cage, he at once attacked 



