Mrs. Loudon's Entertaining Naturalist: Being popular descriptions, tales, and anecdotes of more than Five Hundred Animals.Loudon, Mrs. (Jane)
General
Mrs. Loudon's Entertaining Naturalist: Being popular descriptions, tales, and anecdotes of more than Five Hundred Animals.
Loudon, Mrs. (Jane)
Animals -- Juvenile literature; Zoology -- Juvenile literature
Some time ago a young woman was nursing an infant on one of the quays
on the Liffey, when it made a sudden spring from her arms, and fell into
the water. The screaming nurse and anxious spectators saw the child
sink, as they thought, to rise no more; when at the very instant a
Newfoundland Dog, which was accidentally passing, rushed to the spot,
and at the sight of the child, who at that moment re-appeared, sprang
into the water. The child again sunk, and the faithful animal was seen
anxiously swimming round the spot. Once more the child rose, and the Dog
gently, but firmly, seized him and bore him to land. Meanwhile a
gentleman arrived who appeared to take much interest in the affair, and
on the person who had the child turning to show it him, he recognised
the well-known features of his own son. A mixed sensation of horror,
joy, and surprise struck him mute. When he recovered himself he lavished
a thousand caresses on the faithful animal, and offered his master five
hundred guineas for him; but the latter felt too much affection for the
noble animal to part with him on any consideration whatever. We also
subjoin another equally interesting.
A native of Germany, fond of travelling, was pursuing his course through
Holland, accompanied by a large Newfoundland Dog. Walking one evening on
a high bank, which formed one side of a dike, or canal, so common in
that country, his foot slipped, and he was precipitated into the water,
and being unable to swim he soon became senseless. When he recovered his
recollection he found himself in a cottage on the other side of the
dike, surrounded by peasants, who had been using means to restore
suspended animation. The account given by them was, that one of them,
returning home from his labour, observed at a considerable distance a
large Dog in the water swimming, and dragging the body of a man into a
small creek on the opposite side to which the men were.
The Dog having shaken himself, began industriously to lick the hands and
face of his master, while the rustic hastened across; and, having
obtained assistance, the body was conveyed to a neighbouring house,
where the usual means of resuscitation soon restored him to sense and
recollection. Two very considerable bruises, with the marks of teeth,
appeared, one on his shoulder and the other on the nape of his neck;
whence it was presumed that the faithful animal first seized his master
by the shoulder, and swam with him in this manner some time; but that
his sagacity had prompted him to let go this hold, and shift his grasp
to the neck, by which he had been enabled to support the head out of
water. It was in the latter position that the peasant observed the Dog
making his way along the dike, which it appeared he had done for the
distance of nearly a quarter of a mile.
[Illustration: THE GREYHOUND]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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