The Elbert County tribune., 1911-12-01

necessary. With old-fashioned courtesy the
tourists conducted to their rooms by an
abbe, and after meals shown round the
church. the kennels and museum, quite
guests In country house. Never hint OF
pay Every tourist knows-it Is universal con-
versation and all guide books tell it--that each
tourist ought to put into the aims box at least
what he (or she) would have to pay at hotel.
All tourists similarly know in advance that
the Hospice has grown poor In modern times
by continuing to feed, warm and lodge 200
mingled rich and poor annually-the grants
rents and annuities that once made II rich
having shrunk and dwindled. This being so
what do you imagine the 5000 gay and AFRO
CANT tourists last summer put into the aims
box? Less than 1000 would have paid at a
hotel! That Is to say. an average of one tour
ist In six paid up honestly. The rest snoaked
it.
This is not why the dogs have a far-awny
almost disdainful look. They do not know why
they are almost hard up for their soup and
biscuits. Once they wore gold collars; now
they go about contentedly in leather dotted
with brass nail-heads. They do not even know
that rich tourists have tried to buy them for
large sums-which the good canons gently re-
fused; they would never send their dog friends
down to pant and pine In the thick, hot air OF
the plain. They disdain nobody. They simply
do not like our smell-the smell of overheated
overfed gross tourist bodies. burning oxygen
and letting of poisonous gases like a furnace
Their friends. the abbes, brothers and clean
smelling wood choppers OF the heights are
plain livers. trained down, all muscle, their
very clothes free from the grease and microbes
OF the fostering plain. How, then, II they
avoid us. they willing to bound OF through
snow and night and hunt out-what they
smell SO easily. SO far away-the strong
scented denizen Of low attitudes In distress?
In men 1t would be called professional ardor
In these dogs we call 1t atavism Since st
Bernard de Mention collected the pack in the
year A. D. 962. almost thousand years have
elapsed. Generation after generation, back
through the centuries the same patient train
ing. exclusive companionship OF wise men, abb
sence OF outside foolishness and distractions,
have made 1t a race Of dogs apart. There are
plenty Of St Bernards up and down the valley;
but they degenerates from the overflow
The dogs Of the Hospice. for example, take
their orders only from the abbes, or canons
not the brown brothers ('marronniers') who
live with them. feed them. and for whom they
have the greatest affection Yet before start
ing on an expedition. able has the chief
dogs up before him. one by one. 1t passes In
absolute silence. very queer When the pure
minded, strong-souled. trained-down unworldIy
man looks into his eyes what passes into the
subconscious being of the clean-living, high.
bred. humancompanioned animal OF the thin
air and lonely heights?
Two Hospice dogs have crouched beside Al.
exhausted wayfarer, smuggling close TO him
on each side to keep him warm while the third
dog rap back. to lead the caravan" of rescue
to the spot
Snch trio Of scouts have barked contin-
uousy in the ears OF weakening stumbling
traveller to keep him awake. Two trudged
SO close to him each side as to warm and
hold him upright-whIle the third butted him
along from behind good five minutes before
dashing back to bring the caravan.
Any visitor in snow time is given the
privilege to wander on and hide behind drift
-as far as he pleases. covering his tracks
at pleasure. Then able will take new
bunch OF six dogs from the kennels merely
show them your handkerchief In his uplifted
hand-of course they get the scent-and on
they go. circling. barking, as at game. After
two CIRCLES OF the Hospice at the most run
ming with their noses in the air like French
deer hound. they have your trail and follow
1t straight to where you are waiting to be
rescued. Then you get your second surprise.
Instead of digging you out and offering you
drink OF brandy and water from the canteens
round their necks they stand In n circle laugh
ing at you lou Know now dog laughs?
Technically. the pass Is open to circula-
ton" between the melting and temperance OF
the SHOWS in July. August and September.
During this period. when the road is alive with
traffic over good dry earth. and rock the
rescue work is limited to hunting up adventur-
Gus tourists or tpsy "work-seeking' laborers
who have strayed or fallon. In bad weather,
and as soon as there is Snow. the telephone
makes rescue work rout;1i.s From st. Rhemy.
on the Swiss slope. telephone message In
variably notifies the Hc<pice Of the passage
up OF each vehicle, band Of pedestrians or soli-
tary adventurcr