212 THE WATER SPANIEL. 



on the edges of a large water-coarse, which took its rise near the foot of the large hill at 

 Muckun Gunge, when suddenly one of a brace of fine cocking Spaniels I had with me ran 

 round a large bush greatly agitated, and apparently on some game which I expected to put up. 



"I followed as fast as I could ; but Paris, which was the Dog's name, was too quick for me, 

 and before I could well get round the bush, which was about ten yards from the brink of the 

 ravine, had come to a stand, his ears pricked, his tail wagging like lightning, and his whole 

 frame in a seeming state of ecstasy. I expected that he had got a hare under the bank, and, 

 as the situation was in favor of a shot, I ran towards him with more speed than I should have 

 done had I known that instead of a hare I should find, as I did, a tiger sitting on its rump, 

 and staring Paris in the face. They were not above two yards asunder. 



"As soon as the Dog found me at his side, he barked, and giving a spring down, dashed 

 at the tiger. "What happened for some moments I really cannot say ; the surprise and danger 

 which suddenly affected me banished at once that presence of mind which many boast to 

 possess on all emergencies. I frankly confess that my senses were clouded, and that the tiger 

 might have devoured me without my knowing a word of the matter. However, as soon as my 

 fright had subsided, I began, like a person waking from a dream, to look about, and saw the 

 tiger cantering away at about a hundred and fifty yards' distance, with his tail erect, and fol- 

 lowed by Paris, who kept barking ; but when the tiger arrived at a thick cover, he disappeared. 



" I had begun in my mind to compose a requiem for my poor Dog, as I saw him chasing 

 the tiger, which I expected every moment would turn aboiit and let Paris know that he had 

 caught a Tartar. Though Paris had certainly brought me to the gate of destruction, yet he as 

 certainly saved me. I felt myself indebted to him for preservation, and consequently was not 

 a little pleased to see him return safe." 



This is not a solitary example of the achievement of so daring a feat. Another officer, 

 belonging to the Bengal Artillery, was shooting near a jungle, and was attended by five or 

 six Spaniels, for the purpose of putting up the bustards, floricans, peafowl, and other birds, 

 when a tiger suddenly showed itself from a spot where it had lain concealed. Instead of 

 retreating from the terrible animal, the Spaniels dashed boldly at the brindled foe, and 

 although several of them were laid prostrate by the tiger's paw, the survivors remained 

 staunch, and attracted the creature' s attention so completely that their master was enabled to 

 kill it without difficulty. 



The report that the Dhole will attack the tiger is thus corroborated. 



From its singular affection for the water, this Dog is termed the Water Spaniel, as a 

 distinction from the Field Spaniel. In all weathers, and in all seasons, the Water Spaniel is 

 ever ready to plunge into the loved element, and to luxuriate therein in sheer wantonness of 

 enjoyment. It is an admirable diver, and a swift swimmer, in which arts it is assisted by the 

 great comparative breadth of its paws. It is therefore largely used by sportsmen for the pur- 

 pose of fetching out of the water the game which they have shot, or of swimming to the oppo- 

 site bank of the river, or to an occasional island, and starting therefrom the various birds that 

 love such moist localities. 



Much of its endurance in the water is owing to the abundance of natural oil with which its 

 coat is supplied, and which prevents it from becoming really wet. A real Water Spaniel gives 

 himself a good shake as soon as he leaves the river, and is dry in a very short time. This oil, 

 although useful to the Dog, gives forth an odor very unpleasant to human nostrils, and there- 

 fore debars the Water Spaniel from enjoying the fireside society of its human friends. 



Some people fancy that the Water Spaniel possesses webbed feet, and that its aquatic 

 prowess is due to this formation. Such, however, is not the case. All dogs have their toes 

 connected with each other by a strong membrane, and when the foot is wide and the mem- 

 brane rather loosely hung, as is the case with the Water Spaniel, a large surface is presented 

 to the water. 



The Water Spaniel is of moderate size, measuring about twenty-two inches in height at 

 the shoulders, and proportionately stout in make. The ears are long, measuring from point 

 to point rather more than the animal' s height. 



