"I pondered a good deal upon this conversation with the old captain. I had never for a moment entertained the idea that such a thing was possible. I should have as much expected to meet the minotaur or a flying dragon as a ghost of any sort, especially the ghost of a dog; but the evidence here was certainly startling. I had never observed anything like weakness and credulity about T.; moreover, he was a man of known courage, and very much respected in the regiment. In short, so much had his earnestness on the subject staggered me, that I resolved whenever it was my turn to visit the guards and sentries, that I would carry a pistol with me ready primed and loaded, in order to settle the question. If T. was right, there would be an interesting fact established, and no harm done; if, as I could not help suspecting, it was a cunning trick of the men, who had trained this dog to wake them, while they kept up the farce of the spectre, the animal would be well out of the way; since their reliance on him no doubt led them to give way to drowsiness when they would otherwise have struggled against it; indeed, though none of our men had been detected--thanks, perhaps, to Mungo--there had been so much negligence lately in the garrison that the general had issued very severe orders on the subject. "However, I carried my pistol in vain; I did not happen to fall in with Mungo; and some time afterwards, on hearing the thing alluded to at the mess-table, I mentioned what I had done, adding, 'Mungo is too knowing, I fancy, to run the risk of getting a bullet in him.' "'Well,' said Major R., 'I should like to have a shot at him, I confess. If I thought I had any chance of seeing him, I'd certainly try it; but I've never seen him at all.' "'Your best chance,' said another, 'is when Jokel Falck is on duty. He is such a sleepy scoundrel, that the men say if it was not for Mungo he'd pass half his time in the guard house.' "'If I could catch him I'd put an ounce of lead into him; that he may rely on.' "'Into Jokel Falck, sir?' said one of the subs, laughing. "'No, sir,' replied Major R.; 'into Mungo--and I'll do it, too.' "'Better not, sir,' said Captain T., gravely; provoking thereby a general titter round the table. "Shortly after this, as I was one night going to my quarter, I saw a mounted orderly ride in and call out a file of the guard to take a prisoner. "'What's the matter?' I asked. "'One of the sentries asleep on his post, sir; I believe it's Jokel Falck.' "'It will be the last time, whoever it is,' I said; 'for the general is determined to shoot the next man that's caught.' "'I should have thought Mungo had stood Jokel Falck's friend, so often that he'd never have allowed him to be caught,' said the adjutant. 'Mungo has neglected his duty.' "'No, sir,' said the orderly, gravely. 'Mungo would have waked him, but Major R. shot at him.' "'And killed him,' I said. "The man made no answer, but touched his cap and rode away.