The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-06-24
ANECDOTES OF DOGS.
Remarkable Affection Shown BY Ca
mines Toward Their Masters.

Remarkable Affection Shown BY Ca
mines Toward Their Masters.
Of the strong affection manifested by
the dog for his master, and the sagacity
which, inspired by this feeling, he often
displays, the recorded instances are so
numerous that they must be familiar to
every one. Napoleon, as is well known,
was much struck by seeing on the field
of Bassano dog guarding the body of
his slain master, and similar incident
occurred after the battle of Talavera. In
more recent times the following incident
| of the civil war is recorded:
"The widow of Lieutenant Pfeff, of
Illinois, was enabled to find her hus-
bands grave at Pittsburg Landing, by
seeing a dog which had accompanied the
lieutenant to the war. The dog ap-
preached her with the most intense man
ifestations Of joy, and Immediately indi-
Gated to her, as well as he was able, his
desire that she should follow him. She
did so, and he led the way to a distant
part of the field, and stopped before
single grave She caused it to be opened,
and there found the body of her dead
husband. 1t appears from the state
ment of some of the soldiers, that when
Lieutenant P6eff fell his dog was by his
side, and thus remained, licking his
wounds until he was taken from the field
and buried. The dog then took his sta
ton by the grave, and nothing could in
duce him to abandon it but for suffi-
cient length of time each day to satisfy
his hunger, until by some means he
was aware of the presence of his mis-
tress. Thus had he watched for twelve
days by the grave Of his slain master.
Twelve days, however, are as nothing
when compared with the three months
during which the body of tourist, who
died from the fall on Helvellyn, was
watched unburied by the little dog that
accompanied him, an incident celebrated
in verse by Sir Walter Scott and Words
worth; and in the romance of "Syr
Tyramoure. quoted by Mr.. Jesse at con-
siderable length, greyhound is repre-
sented as burying his murdered master
and watching the grave for the space of
seven years, when he quits it to go to
court and bring the murderer to justice,
after the fashion of the well known dog
of Monagris.
In many instances, especially among
that fine breed of dogs, the Scotch collie,
and to a certain extent in the English
sheep-dog, this affection for the master
takes the shape of strong sense of duty,
and as this is seconded by perhaps the
highest canine intelligence, the results
produced are sometimes most wonder
full. At single word, sometimes with
out a word OF even a signal from the
master, these dogs will direct the evolu.
tions of large flock of Sheep although
one wonders very often how their physi-
cal energies can hold up under the in
cessant fatigue to which they are ex-
posed. Mr. Meyrick, in his little work
on House Dogs and Sporting Dogs"
describes the proceedings of one of these
dogs in manner which sets in a strik-
ing light the faithful dutifulness of the
animal. He says:
Il once saw collie, in the Highlands
of Scotland, left in solitary charge of a
sheep which were feeding in field sepa-
rated only by ruined wall, full of wide
gaps, from a field of young corn. I
watched the dog for some time: he had
taken his stand upon hillock, from
whence he could overlook the whole field
and check the slightest attempt to make
free on the part of the sheep. 1 was
told by the person who accompanied me
that the dog remained patiently and
watchfully at his post from the earliest
dawn until nightfall, and brought the
flock home in the evening on hearing
the shrill whistle of his master who
lived nearly mile away. What extra
ordinary intelligence, and what very
strict sense of duty, must this dog have
possessed"