226 
THE RAT. 
premises we went, ^' Rat, rat ! Toby, rat ! " Out dashed an 
old fellow from behind some tubs, and hearing the dog's 
squeals, in his haste he popped into the wrong hole, — one 
that was only about a foot and a half long, and closed at the 
other end. Toby screamed, and tore like a raving mad 
lion, and set to work most furiously to tear up the very 
foundation of the place. Down came all the workmen, and 
cheered him on. Up came the bricks and stones one after 
the other, which he removed with his mouth, till in his 
eagerness and excitement I verily thought he would have 
swallowed some of them. At last, on removing a brick, 
out sprang the rat. Heels over head went the men, one 
over another. Away went Toby, ready to break his neck, 
out at the door, and never stopped to see if the rat was after 
him, till he reached the other end of the street. Then find- 
ing all was safe, he quietly sat himself on end in the middle 
of the road, and not all the whistlings and enticings possible 
could induce him to come back, till he was satisfied the rat 
was gone. However, his courage returned again, and he 
went through the same fury on the morrow. But when my 
father came to see the place, he sent master Toby about his 
business. At the same time he sent for the bricklayer to 
put the place in repair, declaring that the dog had done 
more mischief in a few hours than the rats had in as many 
years. And thus I lost my hero ! 
Since then I have, at various times, had at least half a 
hundred terriers of one sort or another, but there was 
only one out of the whole that would kill a full-grown rat 
single-handed ; but even he was very soon satisfied, since he 
mostly declined killing a second till another day ; and this I 
have found to be the case with the great majority of 
thorough-bred terriers. The truth is, they are too cunning 
and too soft for such hard work. But when they are bred 
in with the bull- dog, then you have the most active, resolute, 
and hardy dog that can be produced ; and all those dogs 
that have performed such wonderful feats in the art of rat- 
killing are of this breed. 
The great object, among the various breeders of these 
dogs for rat-killing, is to have them as nearly thorough-bred 
bull as possible, but at the same time preserving all the 
outward appearance of the terrier as to size, shape, and 
