Year: 1878

One of the most striking instances Of


sagacity and personal attachment In


the shepherds dog, occurred about


half century ago among the Gram


plan mountains. In one of his eXcur-


sions to his distant flocks, a shepherd


took with him one Of his children.


After trayersing the hills for some


time, attended by his dog, the shepherd


found himself under the necessity of


ascending summit at some distance to


have more extensive view Of his


range. As the ascent was too fatiguing


for the child, he left him on a small


plain at the bottom, with strict injunc-


tons not to stir from it till his return.


Scarcely, however, had he gained the


summit, when the horizon waa sudden


ly darkened by one Of those impene-


trable mists which frequently descend


so rapidly amidst these mountains, as,


in the space Of a few minutes, almost TO


turn day into night. The anxious


father instantly fastened back to find


his child, but, owing to the unusual


darkness, and his own trepidation, he


unfortunately missed his way in the


descent. After a fruitless search of


many hours amongst the dangerous


morasses and cataracts with which


these mountains abound, he was at


length overtaken by night. Still wan
dering on without knowing whittier, ,he
at length came to the verge of the mist,
and, by the light of the moon, discOv-
cred that he had reached the bottom of
the valley, and was within short dis
tance of his cottage. To renew the
search that night was equally fruitless
and dangerous. He was therefore
obliged to return to his cottage, having
lost both his child and his dog, which
had attended HIM faithfully for years.
Next morning by daybreak the shep-
herd, accompanied by band of his
neighbOrs, set out on search for his
child, but after day spent in fruitless
fatigue, he was at last compelled, by
the approach of night, to descend from
the mountain. On returning to his
cottage, he found that the dog, which
he had lost the day before, had been
home, and on receiving piece of cake,
had instantly gone off again. For sew
eral successive days the shepherd re-
newed the search for his child, and
still, on returning at evening disap-
pointed to his cottage, he found that
the dog had been home, and, on receiv-
ing his usual allowance of cake, had
instantly disappeared. Struck with
this singular circumstance, he re-
mained at home one day, and when the
dog as usual departed with his piece of
cake, he resolved to follow him, and
find out the cause of his strange prOce-
dure. The dog led the way to catar-
act, at some distance from the spot
where the shepherd had left his child.
The banks of the cataract almost Joined
at the top, yet, separated by an abyss of
immense depth, presented that appear
ance which so often astonishes and ap-
pals the travellers who frequent the
Grampian mountains, and indicates
that these stupendOus chasms were not
the silent work of time, but the sudden !
effect of some violent cOnvulsiOn of the |
earth. Down one of these rugged and |
almost perpendicular descents the dog
began, without any hesitation, to make |
his way, and at last disappeared into a
cave, the mouth of which was almost |
on a level with the torrent. The shep-
herd with difficulty followed, but, on
entering the cave, what were his emo
tions when he beheld his child eating
with much satisfaction the cake which
the dog had just brought him, while
the faithful animal stood by, eyeing his
young charge with the utmost cOmpla-
cence. From the situation in which |
the child was found, it appears that he
had wandered to the brink of the pre-
cipice, and had then either fallen or
scrambled down till he reached the
cave, which the dread of the torrent
had afterwards prevented him from
quitting. The dog, by means of his
scent, had traced him to the spot, and
afterwards prevented him from star
wing, by givingup to him his own daily
allowance. He appears never to have
quilted the child by night or day, eX-
cept when it was necessary to go for
his food, and then he was always seen
running at full speed to and from the
cottage.