Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-02-15
The Major and his Dogs.

! lnS-pIacc on lne east coast OF
Ireland, some twenty years ago,
and exhibits the remarkable sa-
gacity displayed by adog in car
rying out the dictates ofthe ami
NAL passion forrevenge. The Jet
| ty which stretches along thesmall
aarbor was at that time used as a
promenade by the elite among the
soiourners on the coast, where.
after the heat of the long sum-
mer days, they regaled them
selves with the fresh evening
breezes waited in from the sea.
Among the frequenters Of this
fashionable resort was a gentle
man of some position, who was
the owner of a fine Newfound-
land dog, which inherited the
time-honored possessions of
that noble breed-very great
power and facility in swimming;
and, at the period Of the even
ing when the ietty was most
crowded with promenaders, his
master delighted to put this an
imaI through series OF aquatic
performances for the assembled
sDectators. Amusement being
at a premium on the coast, these
nightly performances grew into
something like an constitution"
and the brave "Captain"-for
such was his name-speedily
became a universal favorite on
the jetty. 1t happened, how
ever, that among the new arri-
walls on the coast there came a
certain major in her majesty's
accompanied by two bull
dogsof unusualsize andstrength,
and of great value; but, value
in a bulldog being inversely
proportionate to it's beauty, the
Of the major and
his dogs excited no very enthu-
siastic pleasure among the athe-
tic strolIers Of the jetty. On
the first night on which the ma
ior presented himself, nothing
occurred; and Captain
dived and swan as before. But
second evening the brave
old favorite was walking quiet
ly behind his master down the
ietty, when as they were pass
ing by the major and his dogs,
one Of these ugly brutes flew at
Captain, and caught him by the
neck in such a way as to rem
der his great size utterly useless
for his defense. a violent strug-
gle ensued, but the bulldog
came off the victor, Cor he stuck
to his foe like a leech, and could
only be forced to release his
hold by the insertion Of bar
of iron between his teeth. The
indignation Of the by-standers
against the major was, of course,
very great; and its feryor was
not a little increased when they
saw the poor Captain vending
bis way homeward, bleeding,
and bearing all the marks of de-
feat. Some two o. three even
ings after this occurrence, when
again made his appear
lnce on the jetty, he looked |
quite crestfallen, bore his tail
between his legs, and stuck
to the heels Of his mas
ter. That evening passed away |
quietly, and the next, and the
next, and so on for about a
week-Captain still bearing the
aspect Of mourning. But one
evening about eight or ten days |
after the above encounter, as
the major was marching in his
usual pompous manner along !
the jetty, accompanied by his
dog, something attracted his at
tention in the water, and, walk
ing to the very edge Of the jet
ty he stood for a moment look
ing down into the sea. Scarce
ly had the two bulldogs taken
up their stand beside their mas
ter when Captain, seizing the
opportunity for which he had 80
long looked, rushed at his for
mer conquernr. and, catching
him by the back Of the neck,
jumped off the jetty, with his
foe in his mouth, down some
twenty feet or more into the
sea. Once in the water, the
power of his enemy was Grip
pied, while Captain was alto
gether in his own element; and,
easily overcoming all efforts at
resistance, he succeeded in reso-
Iutely keeping the bulldogs
head under water. The excite
nent on the shore was, Of course,
intense. The major shouted,
and cried out: "My dog! my
beautiful dog! Will 20 one
cnrn him ~ Rnt no ono seemed