Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of AnimalsLee, R., Mrs.
General
Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals
Lee, R., Mrs.
Animal behavior -- Juvenile literature
A favourite terrier was in the habit of accompanying his master, who was
a clergyman, to church, where he was so perfectly quiet, that few
persons knew of his presence. On one occasion, he went to a funeral, and
when the procession left the church, accompanied his master to the side
of the grave, where he mingled with the attendants. The parties remained
for some little time looking at the coffin after it was lowered, and the
clergyman slipped away, unobserved even by his dog. An hour after, as he
sat at dinner with his friends, his sexton requested to speak with him.
He was admitted into the room, when he said it was impossible to close
the grave, and that he did not know what to do. "Why?" asked the
gentleman, "Because Sir, your terrier stands there, and flies so
fiercely at us whenever we attempt to throw a spade full in, that we
dare not go on." One of the house servants was sent to the churchyard,
and there saw the dog in a perfect fury, defending the grave; she
refused to come to his call, so by main force he removed her, and
carried her to the drawing-room. There, the moment she saw her master,
her transport of joy equalled her former fury; and it is supposed that,
not seeing her master go away, and missing him, she fancied he was in
the grave, and thus strove to protect him from injury.
The same dog and a companion, equally faithful and sagacious, attached
themselves to their master's horse, and whenever they could, went out
with it. He rode out on it to dinner, the two dogs with him, who went
contentedly into the stable with their friend. He ordered his horse when
it was time to go away; but as it was a long while coming to the door,
inquiries were made about the delay, upon which the groom appeared, and
said he dared not take the horse out of the stable, for one of the
clergyman's dogs was on its back, and the other by its side, flying at
every person who came near the animal. The owner comprehended the
mystery, and going to the stable himself, brought forth the steed: the
groom was a stranger, and the dogs dared not trust him with their
master's property.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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