" Finding himself deserted," continues Bewick, 

 specaking of the abandoned dog, "he began to 

 worry sheep, and did so much damage, that he 

 became the terror of the country within a circuit 

 of twenty miles. We are assured that when he 

 caught a sheep, he bit a hole in its right side, and 

 after eating the tallow about the kidneys, left it : 

 several of them thus lacerated, were found alive 

 by the shepherds, and, being taken care of, some 

 of them recovered, and afterwards had lambs. 

 From his delicacy in this respect, the destruction 

 he made may in some measure be conceived ; as 

 it may be supposed that the fat of one sheep in a 

 day would not satisfy his hunger. The farmers 

 were so much alarmed by his depredations, that 

 various means were used for his destruction. 

 They frequently pursued him with hounds, grey- 

 hounds, &c. ; but when the dogs came up with him, 

 he laid down on his back, as if supplicating for 

 mercy ; and in this position they never hurt him ; 

 he therefore laid quietly, taking his rest till the 

 hunters approached, when he made off without 

 being followed by the hounds, till they were again 

 excited to the pursuit, which always terminated 

 unsuccessfully. It is worthy of notice, that he was 

 one day pursued from Howick, to upwards of 

 thirty miles distance, but returned thither and 

 killed sheep the same evening. His constant 

 residence during the clay, was upon a rock on the 

 Heugh-hill, near Howick, where lie had a view of 

 four roads that approached it; and in March, 

 1785, after many fruitless attempts he was at last 

 shot there." 



Now, to say nothing of the ruse whereby he 

 regularly saved himself from his pursuers, this 

 was vefy like communing with himself, and, as a 

 result, taking up the best possible position for his 

 security under existing circumstances, a position 

 which enabled him to baffle his enemies for 

 upwards of a year : — what is this if it be not 

 reason ? 



One more illustration of this part of our subject. 

 In the West of England, not far from Bath, there 

 lived, towards the close of the last century, a 

 worthy clergyman, who was as benevolent as he 

 was learned. There were turnspits in those days 

 — a most intelligent set they were, and Toby, 

 who was an especial favorite, was a model of the 

 breed, with legs worthy of the Goio Chrom him- 

 self, upon which he waddled after his master every- 

 where, sometimes not a little to his annoyance ; 

 but Toby was a worthy, and he could not find it 

 in his heart to snub him. Things, however, came 

 at last to such a pass, that Toby contrived some- 

 how or other to find his way to the reading-desk 

 on a Sunday, and when the door was opened, he 

 would whip in, well knowing that his reverend 

 patron was too kind and too decorous to whip 

 him out. Now, though it has been said, that 



" He's a good dog that goes to church," 



the exemplary Dr. B., who thought he had 

 traced a smile upon the countenance of some of 

 his parishioners on these occasions, felt the 

 impropriety of the proceeding; so Toby was 

 locked up in the stable on Sunday morning; all to 

 no purpose, however, for he scrambled through 

 the shut window, glass, lead and all, and trotted 

 up the aisle after his annoyed master as usual. 

 Matters were now getting serious ; so as soon as 



he had on the Saturday caused the beef to revolve 

 to a turn which was to be served cold for the 

 Sunday dinner — for the good man chose that all 

 around him should find the Sabbath a day of rest 

 — Toby was taken out of the wheel, and his 

 dinner was given to him ; but instead of being 

 allowed to go at large to take his evening walk 

 after it, Molly, to make sure of him, took him up 

 by the neck, and putting him into the wood-hole 

 where window there was none, drew the bolt, and 

 left him therein. Toby revenged himself, by 

 " drying up the souls" of the whole family with 

 his inordinate expostulatory yells during the whole 

 of the remnant of Saturday and the greater part 

 of Sunday ! However, there was no Toby dogging 

 the heels of the surpliced minister, and it was 

 concluded that the sufferings that the doggie and 

 the family had undergone, would have their effect. 

 Well, the week wore on, with Toby as amiable 

 and as useful as ever, and without a particle of 

 sullenness about him — into the wheel went he right 

 cheerfully, and made it turn more merrily than 

 ever; in short, parlour, kitchen, and all were 

 loud in his praise. However, as it drew towards 

 twelve o'clock on the Saturday, Toby was 

 missed. Poor Molly, the cook, was at her wits' 

 end. 



" Where's that vexatious turnspit gone ?" 



was the question, and nobody could answer it. 

 The boy who cleaned the knives was despatched 

 to a distant barn where Toby was occasionally wont 

 to recreate himself after his culinary labors, by 

 hunting rats. No — no Toby. The sturdy thrash- 

 ers, with whom he used sometimes to go home, 

 under the idea, as it was supposed, that they were 

 the lords of the rat-preserve in the barn, and who, 

 being fond of Toby in common with the whole 

 village, used occasionally to give him 



" A bit of their supper, a bit of their bed," 



knew nothing of him. Great was the consterna- 

 tion at the Rectory. Hints were thrown out that 

 " The Tramps " in the green lane had secreted 

 him with the worst intentions, for he was plump 

 and sleek ; but their camp was searched in vain. 

 The worthy family retired for the night, all mourn- 

 ing for Toby ; and we believe there is no doubt 

 that when the reverend master of the house came 

 down on Sunday morning his first question was, 

 "Any tidings of Toby?" — A melancholy " No, 

 sir," was the answer. After an early breakfast, 

 the village schools were heard — their rewards dis- 

 tributed, not without inquiries for Toby — and when 

 church-time came, it is said that the rector, who 

 walked the short distance in full canonicals, look- 

 ed over his shoulder more than once. He passed 

 through the respectful country-people collected in 

 the little green grave-yard, who looked up to him 

 as their pastor and friend, he entered the low- 

 roofed old Norman porch overhung with ivv. he 

 walked up the aisle, the well-filled pews on either 

 side bearing testimony that his sober-minded flock 

 hungered not for the excitement of fanaticism, he- 

 entered the reading-desk, and as he was adjusting 

 his hassock, caught the eye of Toby twinkling at 

 him out of the darkest corner. Need we say more, 

 than that after this, Toby was permitted to go to 

 church, with the unanimous approbation of the 

 parish, as long as he lived ? Now if this was not 

 calculation on the part of Toby, we know not what 



