The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-27
DOGS AND LEGENDS

From the philadelphia Times
The folklore Of England, Ireland and
Wales is full of stories in which hell
dogs pursue men and beasts though
they differed in appearance, according
to the country, but ali were OF great
size and strong beyond nature Their
eyes shot flames, and their mouths
emitted Are that scorched all approach
ing them, though they could be routed
by call on the Deity or by the pur-
sued turning on them with u cross or
the sign of one.
IN Wales they were usually nastiffs
without tails, while in England they
moved in packs and resembled hunting
hounds. In Charles Reade's Put Your.
self in His Place" the author makes
reference to the popular belief in .
mysterious pack. known as the Gabriel
hounds, which few through the air
in full cry, presaging disaster, aud
answering, especially to noble families,
the purpose of the Irish Banshee in
foretelling the deaths of the members
In Holland there is q legend thatdeath
is always preceded by 8 pale dog that
runs snu6ing the ground for spot to
dig the victims grave. 1t was this idea
that gave rise 10 the ancient dislike to
q white dog in that country, and if one
Of that color was seen near grave
yard it was put to death with silver
bullet, over which a prayer had been
said.
In India great god has adog's head.
and the Dog Star (Sirius) is SO called
from the Egyptians. thinking it gave
notice-being particularly conspicuous
at that season Of the year-of the ris-
ing of the Nile, as a dog might the ap-
proaeh of danger. The Laplanders
gave the bear the meme Of the ''dog Of
God" and the Norwegians declare that
it has the strength Of ten men and the
cunning Of twelve.
In oriental religion the noble youths
who slept three hundred years were
guarded in their cavern by dog that
neither ate, drank nor slumbered dur.
ing the period of its vigil. aud for its
fidelity was given a place in paradise
by Mohammed, whose own dog enjoved
q similar honor. To geographers are
known many islands called after dogs,
among which the best known are the
Isle of Dogs, found in the Thames; the
dog islands. in the Malayan archipel-
ago, and the Great Dog, the George
Dog, and the West Dog, lying near
the Islands of the Virgin, or St
Thomas.
There is a curious legend connected
with an an island On the coast of Kam-
chatka, which is known as the Island
of the Talking Dogs" In prehistoric
times, so the inhabitants will tell you,
the natives of the main land did not
employ dogs to perform any mental Ia
Dor, but lived with them on terms Of
and drew their sleds them
selves, caught their own game and hunt
ed the walrus alone. The dogs. which
were gifted with speech, grew naughty
and tried to assume dominion over the
men, when the latter. awahing to the
danger, overthrow the animals, at
to enslave them. This in
duced the dogs to abandon the main
land and estab colony on the is
land referred to, but the game here be-
coming scarce from the aryer of the
gods, they turned cannibals at last, and
soon they were all killed except seven,
which survived of all the many which
had rebelled.I
Then the Kamchatkans sailed over to
The island, which they had not dared
modest before, and attempted to per.
suade the ScrS IN raturp ~ than, t,x
they refused to comply with the re-
quest, asking: What people are you?
We have no knowledge OF YOU" and in
punishment for this denial the dog god
took away their gift of speech, leaving
,nly the bark and whine, when they
we're easily subiupateG by the men