226 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



benefits received; but his memory of injuries and 

 •castigations abides for a long time, and he may 

 become dangerous to people who intentionally tor- 

 ment him. 



The St. Bernard The St. Bernard Dog {Canis familiaris 

 Dog, the extfaritis St. bemardi) resembles the 



Worthiest of All. Newfoundland. Tschudi says: "The 

 St. Bernards are large, remarkably strong animals, 

 with long fur, short, wide muzzle, and long ears. 

 They are exceedingly intelligent and faithful. Then- 

 breed was kept pure during four generations, but is 

 now no longer so, because so many of these Dogs 



THE ST. BEBNAKD BOG. While other Dogs may have greater capabilities as Beasts of Prey, the St. 



Bernard Dog stands foremost among animals in his deeds of mercy and kindness. These are eloquently told in 

 the text ; and the physical characteristics of the Dog are faithfully depicted by the artist. The thick, Shaggy coat 

 and strong body are needed in the Dog's work of succor in the deep snows that abound in the Pass of the Great 

 St. Bernard, where the Dog lives with his masters, the good monks whose devoted lives he shares. ^Canis famil- 

 iaris extrarius st. bemardi.) 



have perished in avalanches encountered in their 

 faithful service. A closely allied Dog is now being 

 bred, and even young Pups of this breed bring a 

 good price. 



Noble Service "The native home of these noble ani- 

 oftheSt. mals is the Hospice of St. Bernard, 



Bernard Dog, situated at an elevation of about 

 seven thousand five hundred feet above the sea, on a 

 desolate mountain crest, in the vicinity of which 

 winter lasts for eight or nine months. It is only in 

 summer that large snow-flakes fall in this locality; 

 in winter dry, small, brittle crystals of ice fall there: 

 so fine that the wind drives them through every 

 crevice in doors and windows. Near the monastery, 

 especially, the wind often piles these crystals in 

 loose walls of snow, from thirty to forty feet high, 

 covering all roads and the edges of the precipices, 

 and falling down into the latter at the slightest 

 knock. 



"The journey across this old mountain pass is de- 

 void of danger, even in summer, only during clear 

 weather. On stormy days, or during the winter 



months, when the numerous clefts and precipices are 

 covered with snow, the passage is fraught with much 

 danger and trouble to the stranger. Every year the 

 mountain claims a small number of victims. The 

 wanderer either falls into a cleft, or is. buried under 

 an avalanche; or the fog is so dense that he loses 

 his way and perishes in the wilderness with hunger 

 and weariness, or is overcome by a sleep from which 

 there is no awakening. Without the Christian and 

 self-sacrificing activity of the noble monks the Pass 

 of St. Bernard would be available but a few weeks or 

 months of the year. Ever since the eighth century 



they have devoted them- 

 selves to the pious care 

 and rescue of travelers. 

 The latter are entertained 

 at the monastery free of 

 cost. The stone buildings 

 on the hearths of which the 

 fire never goes out, can ac- 

 commodate several hun- 

 dred people in case of 

 necessity. But the most 

 peculiar feature is the reg- 

 ular rescuing service, 

 which is much facilitated 

 by these celebrated Dogs. 

 Every day two servants of 

 the convent go over the 

 most dangerous places of 

 the pass; one goes from 

 the cottage of the Cow- 

 keeper of the monastery 

 (which is much lower down 

 on the mountain) up to the 

 Hospice, the other goes 

 down. In stormy weather, 

 or after an avalanche, the 

 number of searchers is 

 trebled and several priests 

 go with the party, accom- 

 panied by the Dogs and 

 provided with spades, 

 poles, biers and refresh- 

 ments. Every suspicious 

 track is indefatigably pur- 

 sued, signals are being 

 given all the time, and the 

 Dogs are closely watched. 

 They are trained to track a human being, and often 

 prowl around all the precipices and roads of the 

 mountains for days. If they find a frozen body, they 

 run back to the convent by the shortest way, bark 

 violently, and lead the ever ready monks to the lost 

 one. If they meet an avalanche, they make dili- 

 gent search for the track of a human being, and if 

 their keen scent discovers one, they immediately 

 proceed to dig up the snow-buried unfortunate, their 

 strong paws and great strength standing them in 

 good stead at this task. They usually carry a small 

 basket with restoratives or a flask of wine tied to 

 their neck, and sometimes they have woolen blank- 

 ets on their back. The number of people rescued 

 in this way is very great and their names are in- 

 scribed in the historical books of the Hospice. The 

 most celebrated Dog was " Barry," the indefatigable 

 creature who saved more than forty people." 

 Scheitlin's Account A poem has been written about 

 of Barry, the this Dog and Tschudi gives it in 

 Life-Sauing Dog. his work; but I know a Still finer 

 poerh on the subject, though it is not written in 



