. / Poi^- in Exile. 71 



from the shore. No sooner had he got them all 

 togethei' than, to my unspeakable astonishment 

 and dismay, he began worrying them, growling all 

 the time with a playful affectation of anger, and 

 pidliug out mouthfnls of feathers which he scat- 

 tered in clouds over his head. To my shouts he 

 responded by wagging his tail, and barking a merry 

 crisp little bark, then flj'ing at the dead birds again. 

 He seemed to be telling me, plainly as if he had 

 used words, that he heard me well enough, but was 

 not disposed to obey, that he found it very amusing- 

 playing with the geese and intended to enjoy him- 

 self to his heart's content. 



" Major ! Major ! " I cried, " j-ou base ungrateful 

 dog ! Is this the way you repay me for all my 

 kindness, for befriending you when others spoke 

 evil of you, and made you keep at home, and treated 

 you with contemptuous neglect ! Oh, you wretched 

 brute, how many glorious breakfasts are you spoil- 

 ino- with those villainous teeth ! " 



In vain I stormed and threatened, and told him 

 that I would never speak to him agaiu, that I would 

 thrash him, that I had seen dogs shot for less than 

 what he was doing. I screamed his name until 

 I was hoarse, but it was all useless. Major cared 

 nothing for my shouts^ and went on worrying the 

 geese. At length, when he grew tired of his play, 

 he coolly jumped into the water and swam back to 

 me, leaving the geese behind. I waited for him, a 

 stick in my hand, burning for vengeance, and fully 

 intending to collar and thrash him well the moment 



