NOTES ON THE DOG TRIBE. 



179 



very day, the terrier shewed symptoms of hydro- 

 phobia. He flew at me, every time that I opened 

 the stable door. Then, he would become exhausted, 

 and lie down on the straw, — and then up again, 

 and so on, till he lay unable to rise ; — and soon 

 after this, death closed the scene. 



So far for the Skye-terrier tragedy. The farce 

 had soon to follow. 



My poor mother was dreadfully alarmed at what 

 had just occurred. As every inmate of the house 

 had been in the constant custom of playing with the 

 dog, she imagined that mischief might be lurking 

 somewhere. Its saliva, might have fallen on a scar 

 which would receive the poison; or perhaps some 

 trifling abrasion might have been made by the 

 tooth, before the dog had shewn symptoms of 

 disease. No time was to be lost. 



Everybody must have heard of the wonderful 

 Ormskirk medicine, for the cure of hydrophobia. 

 Our family -farrier was in possession of the secret ; 

 and he always kept the medicine by him. We 

 were all to be dosed : — servants and everybody 

 in the house. So, he came, and gave us the 

 instructions which were, — that we must take the 

 medicine fasting on the following morning, and 

 only eat a light collation for supper. Nothing- 

 else. 



Q 2 



