THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
her with attention, and then, as it were ‘ tumbling to it,’ went up to her 
side, and tried to move her on. But no; she seemed to say ‘ I’ve got my 
birds. You may have a field full if you like, but if you want mine you must 
trust to me.’ Every one stood in intense excitement to see the bitch ‘ do 
or die,’ make a fool of herself, or come out with something wonderful. 
It was odds on the fool. With much pressure she was forced on a few 
yards, when a hare jumped up close to her, which never shook her in the 
least. And then, nearly a hundred yards away, a pair of birds rose right 
in her line. At that instant she dropped as though she had been shot! 
The first who came up to congratulate the owner was Mr Arkwright, who 
said it was the most wonderful piece of work he had ever seen.” 
Nothing approaching such work has been seen in this country since 
that memorable meeting, though during one of our pleasant trips to the 
Continental trials before imposition of quarantine made it impossible 
for Englishmen to take their dogs to one or other of the many meet- 
ings held in France, Belgium, or Holland during the spring, we saw a 
marvellous exhibition of brace work on ground near Namur. The dogs 
were perfectly matched as regards speed and nose; there was that under- 
standing between them which makes brace work so entrancing — that 
something which cannot be fathomed by man — while their obedience 
to the directions of their handler was remarkable. That exhibition so 
astonished the few Englishmen who were present, that, had the Con- 
tinental field trial men wished to match a brace against one from England 
they would have found it a difficult matter to induce the cross -channel 
visitors to take up the challenge. 
There is, of course, no doubt about the antiquity of the pointer and 
Mr Arkwright has a great deal which is of interest to say about him and 
his predecessors in the invaluable monograph he wrote some years since. 
The Spanish pointer ,^^with^more than a dash of the Southern hound or 
the foxhound in his blood represents all that is good in the breed to-day, 
and the cross was very highly thought of in Colonel Thornton’s time. 
That famous shooter owned Pluto and Juno, which were said to be so 
staunch that they remained on point while Gilpin sketched them for his 
still famous picture. The foxhound-hound cross introduced courage 
and speed, and pointers of the old type were strong, well formed, and 
very active. They travelled at a great pace, quartering with rapidity, 
and galloping with haunches well under, and head and tail up. His high 
spirit and eagerness for sport rendered him intractable and extremely 
220 
