The Mena weekly star., 1897-09-15


 favorite sports, and when following | Carlo his voice always told me as plain l ly as by articulate speech whether he 1 was running on hot scent. had caught l his quarry on the ground or had treed it. Tn the latter case my comrade and I would build fire and chop down the tree, whose top could scarcely crash to the earth before Carlo would have the coon. Never once did he let one escape to another tree.
 Altogether, aside from the fact that their skins were worth in the proper season 30 cents each, it was very neces- sary to destroy these obnoxious though interesting animals, as they wrought sac havoc among the green corn and oats and not infrequently carried off outlying young ducks and chickens.
 1t was a singular idiosyncrasy of Car los that, although born among and brought up by Indians, he would never, after coming into our possession, let one of this race approach the house without showing the most violent an- ger, and if the red man still persisted | he would seize some part of his dress l and prevent his farther advance until some member of the family interfered. Even then he would not lose sight of the unwelcome visitor until he had fol- lowed him beyond the boundaries of our 400-acre farm-aii of which, in beast of so much intelligence, clearly 1 proves, think, that he had been cruelty treated by his first owners.
 | On three several occasions this dog saved my life, each time displaying surprising degree of calculating judg- l ment.
 Through the whole length of our | farm ran stream called Etobicoke creek, and in June. few months after | Carlos acquisition by us, when I had gained his love and confidence, there occurred one nighta tremendous down. pour of rain. swelling the creek to q wide, deep and dangerous torrent. Go 1 ing next morning, as usual, to bring home the cows, then pasturing on the farther side of the stream, I very rash ly, instead of going around by rather distant bridge, attempted to ford the angry flood. But in a moment I was swept off my feet and by the outward set of the current whirled like a feather toward it's turbulent center. Being at that time unable to swim, would cer- tainly have drowned then and there had not Carlo plunged in and effected rescue-and in manner evincing al- most human intelligence.
 | The brave fellow evidently knew that I was much heavier than himself, and was not to be retrieved so easily as a wounded duck. So, instead of seizing me haphazard and perhaps drawing my head under water, he dextrously caught hold of the front corner of my l coat collar, thus, in effect, enabling me to rest my head upon his if I so wished. 1 However, the moment he touched me lost all fear, recovered my presence of mind and cheerfully said: Let go, Carlo"
 Seeming to guess my intention, he in stantly obeyed, whereupon I slid my hands along his back and grasped his stubby tail, when, with yelp of mani fest delight, he struck diagonally across and downstream, towing me safely ashore to the opposite bank. though at point fully 100 yards below where I had entered the water.
 Then it was most touching to wit ness his joy. After lovingly licking my face and hands, he scampered up and down the bank like wild thing, rap turously barking and showing his hap piness iii every possible way, while now and then darting back to my side to re- new his caresses and receive my own.
 When satisfied with this fun, he col lected the cows and made them swim the creek, but did not follow them across, thinking, perhaps, that l was not yet to be trusted alone, and that it was his duty to accompany me home by way of the bridge.
 About two months arterwaru Uarlo saved me from being torn to pieces by cougar. an animal extremely rare in western Canada even at that early day, called panther Dy the old hunters, though the true panther does not exist in any part of America. As q full ac- count of this adventure has already been published, l can only say here that, had it not been for my faithful friends extraordinary sagacity in discovering the crouching beast and his dauntless courage in attacking it, should most certainly have become it's prey. As it was, thanks to the dog, the great eat was shot by my father, receiving one half the bounty money and my gall lant hound unstinted praise.
 Perhaps dogs may not possess what we, in our wisdom, call inductive req soning powers, but Carlo was gifted