86 PODGERS' POINTER 



all-work, an elderly lady with proclivities in the 

 direction of " sperrits," happened to stand right in 

 the centre of the doorway when Podgers commenced 

 his unpremeditated bound. He cannoned against 

 her, causing her to reel and stagger against the 

 wall, and to clutch despairingly at the nearest 

 available object to save herself from falling. That 

 object happened to be the curly hair of my acro- 

 batic friend, to which her five fingers clung as the 

 suckers of the octopus cling to the crab. By the 

 aid of this substantial support she had just, righted 

 herself, when the dog, finding himself comparatively 

 free, made one desperate plunge into the hall, en- 

 twining his chain round the limbs of the lady in one 

 dexterous whirl which levelled her, with a very 

 heavy thud, on the body of the prostrate Podgers. 

 Now, whether she was animated with the idea that 

 she was in bodily danger from both master and 

 dog, and that it behoved her to defend herself to 

 the uttermost extent of her power, I cannot possibly 

 determine ; but she commenced a most vigorous on- 

 slaught upon both, bestowing a kick and a cuff 

 alternately with an impartiality that spoke volumes 

 in favour of her ideas upon the principles of even — 

 and indeed I may add, heavy — handed justice. 



I arrived upon the scene in time to raise the 

 prostrate form of my friend, and to administer such 



