The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-12-24

| nau entered the water.
Then it was most touching to wit.
hess his Joy. After lovingly licking my
face and hands, he scampered up and
down the bank like a wild thing, rap
turously barking and showing his hap
piness in 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 1 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 afterward Carlo
saved me from being torn to pieces by
cougar, an animal extremely rare in
western Canada even at that early day,
called panther" by the old hunters,
though the true panther does not exist
in any part of America. AS full ac-
count of this adventure has already
been published, can only say here that,
had it not been for my faithful friend s
extraordinary sagacity in discovering
the crouching beast and his dauntless
courage in attacking it, | should most
certainly have become its prey. AS it
was shot by my father, receiving one
half the bounty mosey and my gal
liant hound unstinted praise.
Perhaps dogs may not possess what
we, in our wisdom, call inductive rea-
soning powers, but Carlo was gifted
with something inarvelously like such.
Mere instinct will hardly account for
his conduct in the following instance:
One summer morning, in March, 1894,
was standing at our back door, which
overlooked the creek and a little field
opening out of the barnyard beyond.
In this paddock were at the moment
frisking a number of February-bo
lambs, while their mothers were nib
bling such chance tufts of grass as had
escaped the winters frosts.
While l looked delightedly at the in
nocent creatures gambols, a great,
giant gray wolf, having sneaked. unob-
served from the forest, a half mile
further up stream, suddenly leaped
the low fence, dashed through the flock,
seized lamb in his mouth and was off
forestward like flash.
Carlo lay doing in the sun at my
feet. look, Carlo, look!" l cried,
pointing to the retreating wolf. In an
instant he caught sight of the ma
rauder, but did he rush across the creek
in direct pursuit and thus prematurely
alarm the brute, give it long start and
thus entail upon himself a probably
hopeless stern chase? No; he did some
thing far wiser and more effectual.
Without giving tongue at all, he started
off at full speed up my side of the
stream, far enough from the banks
brink to p1erert the enemy seeing him,
and was at the edge OF the forest some
little time before the encumbered wolf
could reach it's shelter Then, con-
cealed by impinging bushes and trees,
he bounded through and across the
creek, hid himself in the brushwood
and met the ravenous beast face to face
when it came along. Meantime, hear
ing me call, several of the family came
to the door and witnessed what fol-
lowed.
On seeing Carlo, the half-starved wolf
did not at once relinquish his prey, but
swerved from his course and tried TO
gain the wooda Mt more distant point
a fatal mistake on his part, for the
dog, nearly as swift as he in any case,
was on him before he had gone 1C0
feet. Then he dropped the lamb and
attempted to close with Carlo i'm death
struggle. He might as we'll have tried
to close with lightning streak. Every
time he made rush at the dog the latter
sprang aside, and the instant the wolf
turned again he seized it by hind leg.
bringing it to the ground, while always
avoiding the deadly grips of its fearful
ly armed jaws.
| This maneuver was repeated again
and again, and, rage as he might, the
wolf could neither get away from. nor
fasten his fangs on, his prosecutor. The
result was that my elder brother had
time to run up and shoot the beast.
which was so wholly preoccupied in the
|
leave the reader to judge whether, in
this chase and attack, the noble dog
did not exercise what may fairly be
called reason?
Time, pregnant with many of my own
and Carlos adventures, passed on; /
was ~ years old and he, presumably
five, was in the zenith of his powers.
and had become much heavier than
when l first knew him, when he saved
my life for the third time, in this wise:
One afternoon in October he and |
were passing through large field
wherein were pasturing a number at
cattle. Among these was three-year-
old bull, which we had always thought
quite gentle animal. In fact, had
often ridden to and fro on his back.
The evening being chilly, was wear
ing at the time one of those camlet
coalls, lined with red flannel, which
were very much in vogue for boys in
those days. A strong wind was blow
ing, and just as we got within about 50
yards of the bull. a heavy gust threw
one side of the cloak over my shoulder.
thus exposing large eSpanSe OF the
lining.
On catching sight of this obnoxious
color, the bull changed in one moment
from peacefuly-grazing beast to Il
maddened monster, and, with ? hoarse,
believing roar, lowered head and up