220 TilE MASTIFF. 



Iiiquisil'ne, nor leaves one turf untrieJ* 

 Till, conscious of the recent stains, his heart 

 Beats quick ; his snuliling nose, his active tail. 

 Attest his joy : then with deep-opening mouth 

 That i:iiakes the welkin tremble, he proclaims 

 'i'h' aud:>cious iehm : Foot by foot he marks 

 His winding way, uhile all the list'ning crowd 

 Applaud his reasonings : o'er the wat'ry ford. 

 Dry sandy heath.=, and stonv barren hills ; 

 O'er beaten patlis, with men and beast distain'd ; 

 Unerring he pursues ;— till at trie cot 

 Arriv'd, and seizing by his guilty throat 

 The caitiff vile, redeems the captive prey. 

 So ex:quisitely delicate his sense ! 



jMisliJfs * arc peculiar to this country, where 

 thev are principally of use as watch Do^s ; a duty 

 which they discharge not only with great iidehty* 

 but frequently vv'itli considerable judgment. Some of 

 them will suffer a stranger to come into tlie inclosure 

 they ere appointed to guard, and wall go peaceably 

 along with him tlrrough every part of it, so long as 

 he continues to touch nothing ; but the moment he 

 attempts to lay hold of any of the goods, or en- 

 deavours to leave tlie place, the aninial informs him, 

 first by gentle growling, or, if that is i'.iefFectual^. 

 1 V harsher means, that he must neither do u.iischief, 

 nor po avwtv. He seldom uses violence imless re- 

 sisted ; and even in th.is case he will sometimes seize 

 th.e person, throw him down, and hold liim there 

 for hours, or until relieved, without biting him -J--. 



* Et-w. C;.u:v-k ;3U7. t Kerr, i. 1.;".. 



