The Bessemer indicator., 1893-08-26
THE REAL DOGS OF WAR
HOW THEY ARE TRAINED TO
BECOME OF USE.
They Display Wonderful snSNoi'y nm" Ar'
Easily Taught - Act as Mcssc"Eers'
scouts and Even ns AIDS to sentrics-
The Algerian Sentry Dogs

Gabriel Garcia, in his "lIistory OF
San Domingo" speaks OF bloodhounds
that had bocn trained to carry mes
sages, as we'll as to track tho fugitive
Indians, but the first modern hint OF
| initiating that plan came from Oran,
in Western Algeria, whore the enter
prise of tho French scouts had been
for weeks baiilcd by tho vigilance OF
the Bcdouin shepherd dogs.
In the winter OF 1879 tho com
mander of Fort Dupin was informed
that the conduct OF tho native
zouaves had become subject OF
frequent complaints; but knowing
the jealousy of the French regulars,
he did not pay much attention to
those rumors till one evening their
truth was established by the report
of strange visitor, gaunt shcikh.
or patriarch. of II highland tribe,
who had come afoot all the way from
Sidi Harrat
Where did you leave your horse,
emir?" inquired the colonel.
alt is gone, SIR" said the sheikh;
gamblel away. together with my
cows and my best rifle. Your soldiers
at Harrat station are keeping up n
gambling den. and have smoking and
dancing carousals every. night at
their camp, where thcy receive visits
from the loafers of all the neigh bor-
ing villages. They cheat at dice and
have cleaned me out"
Livery night, you say? Why. l
have ordered my patrols to inspect
the camp after dark three following
times. and they found everything in
good ordcr!'
"Ycs. when thcy got there. "
laughed the shcikh, "but it would
have made them stare If they had
seen the guard house an hour sooner
or later The gambling outfit, the
opium pipes and lots of plunder had
been slowed away under tho rear
porch of the guard d-housc building IN
them before the patrol crossed the
valley"
"What dogs"
1.-The Arabian shepherd dogs they
keep for sentries," said the cmir;
"they send them out with every picket
post, and after dark nothing in the
shape OF man or u horse can come
near them within three miles without
those brutes giving the alarm.
The next day the post commander
sent out Il strong detachment, with
instructions to straightcp out that
gambling camp and shoot those SEN
try dogs. One patrol left Oran at
day6ealss pus bAd nos srS.s..l moro
than four miles when they were ovef
taken by mounted orderly. wht
handed their loader note from the
commanding officer: 81 have changed
my mind about those trick dogs.
Catch all of them you can, but dc
not kill them. Bring them to Oran
alive. | want to try some expert.
ments.' The remarkable results ol
those experiments were communi.
Gated to u French stall officer, and q
military commission soon after re
ported in favor Of utilizing certain
breeds Tor picket post duty in sparse
ly settled districts, and, perhaps for
the collection OF abandoned valuablcs
vi VIC uiscoNcfS VI "puhucu soluicfs
on extensive battlefclds.
Three OF the Algerian sentary dogs
fierce, shaggy and rather wolfish
looking brutcs. wcro taken to Tan
in Southern France. and. togcthc,
with large number of collics and
poodics, put in charge OF systematic
trainers, whose success socn attractc
the attention OF cntcrprising neigh
bors, The dreibund got wind o
the project, and before the cnd o.
another year regular drill barrack.
for the training of four-footod sol
diers were established in Lucllan
Saxony, and near Wells, in the IN
per valley OF Fruun
The sentry dogs are less available