THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



187 



British official photograph, by Associated Illustration Agencies, Etd. 



A CANINE COURIER OE THE GREAT WAR 



This dog as a dispatch-bearer is three and a third times as efficient as a man, for in 

 three minutes it will deliver to local headquarters the message being written by the officer, 

 whereas a human courier would require ten minutes to make the trip. Only one man is 

 allowed to _ feed this dog—its keeper at headquarters. Soldiers are not allowed to pet the 

 animal, as its affection for its keeper must be undivided. 



means of a stone, skilfully hurled, dogs 

 could be killed before they were near 

 enough to bite. And here began the art 

 of throwing missiles at an enemy, which 

 has culminated in the invention of great 

 guns which hurl projectiles for 60 miles. 



Under such convincing tutelage, no 

 doubt the dogs gradually came to have a 

 great and healthy respect for man, the 

 one mysterious creature who could fight 

 them with something more formidable 

 than his teeth and claws, and while they 

 were still at a distance, where they could 

 not use their own. Perhaps there came 

 to be a mutual respect. Both of these 

 powerful races were largely carnivorous 

 and hunted for a living. 



Sometimes when the man was hunting, 

 probably the dogs would follow at a re- 

 spectful distance, and when he had made 

 his kill with a club or a stone, or later 



with a spear, they would clean up the 

 parts of the carcass which he did not 

 carry off. 



Sometimes perhaps the dogs would run 

 down and bring to bay some dangerous 

 quarry which would have been too fleet 

 for the man, and while they were circling 

 about trying to avoid the death which was 

 sure to come to some of them before the 

 rest could break their fast, the man would 

 come up and with his crude weapons kill 

 their enemy, take what he needed for his 

 own use, and yet leave them an ample 

 feast. And because they were useful to 

 one another in this way, we can easily 

 imagine that the man and the dog would 

 gradually form a sort of partnership in 

 the chase. 



Again, when man lived in caves he was 

 doubtless an untidy, not to say filthy, 

 creature, who after feeding would toss^ 



