Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-02-21

7 QCSCil.
while out walking on the even
ing of our arrival, with Hafiz and
Sheik Ali, says Mr.. Davenport,
Il saw in one tent litter OF pup
pies. There were four big, husky
youngsters in the litter, and the
father and mother. The largest of
the puppies, white with black ears
and a spot, strolled out TO see us.
l stopped and petted him, whereon
he fell upon his back with his heels
in the air. He enjoyed the pet
ting and | could see him glancing
back at his family as if wishing
that his prominence in being no.
ticed would be seen by the others.
AT that time l couldn't under
stand all that this look meant, but
l learend later. The puppy was
getting so big that his own father
was unkind to him. He knew of
the unwritten dog law of the desert
tribes which sent every male puppy
forth to hustle for himself at very
early age. He knew that his only
salvation rested on his success in
getting some tent owner to adopt
him, and he also realized that he
must find a tent pretty soon. Only
that morning his father, a big,
wolf-like animal, had growled at
him in manner he could not mis-
take.
when he heard that menacing
growl my puppy felt his hair rise
along his spine, and he knew that
his strength was not yet sufficient
for him to give battle to the old
man. He had seen other puppies
fight for the home; he had seen,
not so many days past, one big pup
in the second tent whip the father
and assume charge of the tent. If
my puppy had been able to speak
and his words could have been
translated into American, l am sure
he would have said something like
this:
We'll, it's up to me to get a
hustle on pretty quick or dad will
be after me.
During my next stroll | stop
ped and petted him again, and that
time we knew each other a little
better. He was still as bashful as
most puppies are who havn't shed
their puppy teeth, but as we finally
parted / saw him look at me with
long, hopeful expression, and in
that expression he seemed to tell
me that he was a youngster with a
purpose in life.
" My dad don't understand me,
he appeared to say mournfuily. You
know as well as me that boys gen.
orally stay home until they're
twenty-one, but i'll my case I've got
to get out when Pm only thirteen.
Tough, amt it?'
''Well, that evening at the tent,
after the Bedou1ns had gone, we
saw big white baby head with
black soft ears appear under the
flap. We sat and watched while
soft, fluffy body followed the
head, and then we knew that our
puppy was returning our visit in
true Bedouin fashion,
The puppy after adopting Daven-
port followed him across the desert.
Then came the final scene in the
canine tragedy.
"Sheik Ali had galloped his
horse, fine Kehilan Ajuz, on a
mile ahead to the tent of his own
tribe, and presently the horsemen
came riding toward us, carrying
long spears. My attention was
taken by the superb horses-four
bays, two grays and chestnut. AS
we drew nearer more people came
to meet us, and the excitement was
general. Near the Sheik's tent,
large and we'll constructed, were
several Bedouins killing a sheep for
dinner. All the dogs in the
neighborhood were watching the
proceedings.
Suddenly, when we were
about to dismount, a number of
wolf-like dogs, big and ferocious,
came tearing upto us, and before
any one could interfere, my poor
puppy went down before the attack.
1t was over in moment. The
tribcsmcn drove the hounds away,
but only to leave, torn and disfig-
ured, the youngster, my volunteer
body-guard, my puppy who had left
home for me.
81 felt as if | could destroy all
the dogs of theldesert for this wan
ton murder. To me it meant more
than the loss of a dog-it meant
the passing of a love that could
not be bought for money. The af-
lection of this puppy was spontan-