98 
THE RAT. 
.sight. When the family arose, she explained the whole 
affair, to the great merriment and delight of the entire 
liousehold ; but more especially to her master, who, after 
laughing most heartily at the droll and ingenious contriv- 
ance of the robbers, concluded by assuring them, that he 
was perfectly satisfied with the honour and integrity of all 
about him, except the rats. 
CHAPTEE XII. 
COUllAGE, FEIIOCITY, AND CUNXING OF EATS. 
In point of courage, rats vary considerably ; fori have some- 
times seen large rats exhibit such cow^ardice that they have 
yielded to their enemy almost v/ithout a struggle for 
their lives ; while, on the other hand, I have seen both 
full-grown and half grown rats fight most determinedly with 
anything that assailed them. But it must be borne in mind 
that there is a wonderful difference between poor rats that 
have been maimed in catching, and after that starving and 
pining in stinking cages, and those we meet w^ith in their 
native haunts, brimful of health, strength, and vigour. 
Hence it is that many little bow-wows in London are lauded 
to the skies as invincible heroes for having killed some 
twenty or thirty half-grown, half-starved, half-dead rats. 
Whereas, take them into the country — to say nothing of 
sewer- rats — and let them take the rats as they rush from 
their holes, and I think that in most cases half a dozen 
would be more than these little pigmy heroes would care 
lor, unless they were of a very genuine breed. 
I once saw this matter put to the test. The owner of 
the dog was extremely loud in its praises, and certainly a 
very pretty little fancy animal it was, about six pounds in 
weight ; but, nevertheless, its master had most wofully 
overrated its abilities, because it had once killed thirty rats in 
a pit, for which he bought it at a very handsome price. In 
the present instance he had backed it for a round sum to 
kill thirty fresh rats as they rushed from a bean-stack. 
Every one was requested to^ stand at a distance, so that the 
