Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-07-31
Dog Supplying Food to a Lost Child.

One of the most wonderful instances
which We have heard, say the Messrs.
|. Chambers in their Anecdotes of Dogs"
OF sagacity and personal attachment in
the shepherds dog, occurred about a half
century ago among the Gralnpian noun
tains. In one Of his excursions to his
distant fiocks, a shepherd took with him
one OF his children. After traversing
the hills for some time, attended by his
dog, the shepherd found himself under
the necessity of ascending a summit
some distance to have a more extensive
view of his range. AS the ascent was
too fatiguing for the child, he left him
on a small plain at the bottom, with the
strict injunction not to stir from it till
his return. Scarcely, however, had he
gained the summit, when the horizon
was suddenly darkened by one of those
lmpenetrable mists which frequently de-
scend so rapidly in these mountains, as,
in the space of a few minutes, almost to
turn day into night. The anxiousfather
instantly fastened back to find his child,
but, owing the unusual darkness and his
W trepidation, he unfortunately missed
his way in the descent. After a fruit
less search of many hours among the
danger morasses and cataracts with
which these mountains abound, he was
at last overtakeh by night. Still wan
dering on without knowing whittier, he at
last came to the verge of the mist, and
by the light Of the moon discovered that
he had reached the bottom of the valley,
and was in a short distance of his cot
tage. To renew the search that night was
equally fruitless and dangerous. He was
therefore obliged to return to his cot
tage, having lost both his child and his
dog, which had attended him faithfully
for years.
Next morning, by daybreak. the shep-
herd, accompanied by a band of his
neighbors, set out in search of his child;
but after a day spent in fruitless fa-
tigue, he was at last compelled by the
approach of night to descend from the
mountain On returning to his cottage
he found that the dog which he lost the
day before, had been home, and, on re-
celving a piece of cake, had instantly
started off again. For several successive
days the shepherd renewed the search
for his child, and still on returning at
evening disappointed to his cottage, he
found that the dog had been home, and
on receiving his usual allowance of cake
had instantly disappeared. Struck with
this singular circumstance, he remained
at home n day, and when the dog as
usual departed with bis piece of cake, he
resolved to follow him and find out the
cause OF his strange procedure. The dog
led the way to a cataract at some dis
lance from the spot where the shepherd
had left his child. The banks of the cat
aract almost joined at the top, yet, sep
arated by an abyss of an immense depth,
presented that appearance which so often
astonishes and appals the travellers who
frequent the Grampiar mountains,
and indicate that these stupen-
dOus chasms were not the silent
work of time but the sudden effect of
some violent convulsion of the earth.
Down of those rugged and almost
perpendicular descents the dog began,
without hesitation, to make his way, and
last disappeared into a cave, the
mouth OF which was almost upon a level
the torrent. The shepherd with
difficulty followed, but, on entering the
cave, what were his emotions when he
his child eating with much sat
sfaction the cake which the dog had Just
brought him, while the faithful animal
'tood by cycling his charge with the ut
complacence. From the situation in
which the child was found, it appears
hat he had wandered to the brink of
he precipice, and then either fallen or
scrambled down till he reached the cave,
which the dread of the torrent had after.
yard prevented him from quitting. The
log, by means of his scent, had traced
i'm to the spot, and Acknowledgements
ng him from starving by giving up to
i'm his " daily allowance. He appear
d neve to have quilted the child by
light or day, except when it was neces-
ary to 60 for his food, and then he was
ways seen running at full speed to and
rom tho cnttouo