THE HIRED GUN-DOG 79 



since his arrival the preceding evening. Besides, he has 

 not yet quite recovered from the effects of his long journey 

 by train, and is far more fit for the kennel than the field. 

 Under such conditions the hired dog — or any other dog 

 for that matter — be he never so good, will not work, and 

 long before the day's sport is over he will have been roundly 

 anathematised as a skulking, useless brute, which ought 

 to be " peppered " to save other unsuspecting shooters 

 from being similarly victimised. Well, the chances are 

 that the value of the hireling as a gun-dog is rather less 

 than that of a " pepper-caster " in the shape of a 12-bore 

 cartridge, otherwise he would not have found his way 

 down to Mr. Eastcheap's manor. But even had he been 

 the most perfectly-trained dog ever whelped, ten to one 

 he would not, under the circumstances suggested, have 

 shown himself in anything approaching his true colours. 

 Very few dogs will work even moderately well with strange 

 " guns," and any sportsman who has had practical ex- 

 perience will be willing to admit that no two dogs of 

 precisely similar characteristics and temperament ever 

 came under his notice. In this respect the canine race 

 resemble their human masters, and — tell it gently — we 

 have met with more than one dog that was gifted with 

 common intelligence of a higher order than was his owner. 

 But let it be clearly understood that in neither instance 

 did the intelligent creature belong to us. 



One of the steadiest and best working Cocker spaniels 

 we ever shot over was of such jealous disposition that he 

 would not hunt one inch of ground if another dog happened 

 to be in the same field or covert with him, and upon an 

 opportunity occurring he would give his rival a thundering 

 good trouncing on the quiet. When alone, old Jock was 



