Dog Breaking. W. N. Hutchinson

      156. The gentleman was walking up and down the crowded Pantiles, listening to the public band, and playing the agreeable to a titled lady, whom he subsequently married; when, bowing to some passing acquaintance, he casually observed, “How badly my hat has been brushed!” at the same time giving the private signal to the dog, who instantly ran off to one of the adjacent toy-shops, and brought away the hat-brush which his master had pointed out to him about a quarter of an hour before.

157. As Mr. D——s kept his own counsel, the lady and many of their friends, as well as the pursuing shopman, fancied the dog had sufficient intelligence to understand what had been said, and had, from his own sagacity, volunteered fetching what he conceived was required.

158. The barrack-rooms at Gibraltar used not to be furnished with bells. An officer of the Artillery, quartered on the Rock while I was there, and, by-the-bye, so good a player at draughts, that he used to aver—and his unusual skill seemed to prove the correctness of the assertion—that, if he had the first move, he could win to a certainty, was accustomed to summon his servant by sending his dog for him. On getting the signal, away the Maltese poodle would go, not much impeded by closed doors in that hot climate, and, by a bark, inform the man that he was wanted.

159. The daily routine of a quiet bachelor’s life is so unvaried in those barracks, that the servant could generally guess what was required; and visitors were often surprised at hearing the officer (Major F——e) say to his dog, “Tell John to bring my sword and cap,” or “the breakfast,” &c. and still more surprised at seeing that such orders were punctually obeyed.

      ELEPHANT’S TRICKS.

160. But for exhibiting tricks with effect doubtless my old warm-hearted friend K——g, (elsewhere mentioned 450,) bears off the palm. He brought two young elephants to England from Ceylon; one he secured when it was a mere baby, and would not quit the side of its dam after he had shot her. The other was about seven feet high. He had taught them several tricks before they embarked, and during the long voyage home, passed on deck, they had learned many others from the sailors, and, when needed, would usefully help in giving “a long pull,—a strong pull,—and a pull all together.”

161. General B——g having spoken to the Duchess of Y——k about the little animals, she happened to say she would like to possess the smallest; of course K——g was too gallant a man not to send it at once to Oatlands. George the Fourth heard of the other; and on some of his staff mentioning that it would be acceptable to His Majesty, it went to the Pavilion at Brighton. It was kept there until they were tired of it, when it was transferred to the Tower. Hearing of its being there, K——g one morning went into the menagerie. An officer of the Guards, on duty at the Tower, was at the moment seeing the animals with a party of ladies; K——g was in a hurry, and inquired where the elephant was, saying he had come expressly to have a look at him and nothing else. The officer very good-humouredly observed that it mattered not what beasts they saw first, so the party adjourned to the elephant. K——g urged the keeper to go into the den to show him off, but the man said the animal had so recently arrived there that he was afraid. K——g offered to go in. The man refused leave, stating it was more than his situation was worth to permit it. K——g pressed to be allowed. The officer warmly urged the keeper to comply, “as the gentleman felt so confident,” and the keeper wavering, K——g, without saying another word, squeezed himself through the massive oak bars, went up boldly to the elephant, put his hand on his shoulder as he used to do in old days; the sagacious brute at once obeyed the signal and lay down, got up again when desired, salaamed to the ladies, held a foot out for K——g to stand on, then raised it up to aid K——g in getting on his back, and afterwards lay down to enable his old master to dismount conveniently. K——g then tickled him to make him kick, which the awkward looking beast did in a very laughable manner, and the laugh of the spectators was not diminished by his squeezing K——g so close into a corner, that he could only escape by slipping under the creature’s belly. K——g finished the exhibition by making him turn round, and again salaam the company.

162. I will not swear that K——g, who has much quiet humour, did not propose going into any other den and show off all the lions and tigers in a similar manner, but he found, of course unexpectedly, on looking at his watch, that he was obliged to hurry off instantly. The delighted and bewildered keeper entreated him to reveal the secret by which such marvellous feats were performed. K——g promised to do so on his return to London; and he would have kept his word, had not the poor elephant soon afterwards died in cutting his tusks. So the man to this day, for all I know to the contrary, thinks my friend little less than a necromancer.

      REPLETE WITH GOOD THINGS.

      LADIES’ DOGS OVERFED.

163. It is to be observed that ladies’ dogs are generally so pampered and overfed that a common reward does not stimulate them to exertion in the same degree it does dogs less favoured. I should speak more correctly if I said less fed; for I am ungallant enough to fancy, that an unpacked canine jury would consider the good health, high spirits, and keen appetite of the latter, a fair set-off against the delicacies and caresses bestowed by the prettiest and most indulgent of mistresses. Though the collie is the shepherd’s constant companion, the shepherd well knows that always petting the dog would spoil him. Sir J——s M——e, a Highlander, observed to his gamekeeper, that he never saw the shepherds coaxing and caressing their collies. “True,” the man replied, “but you never saw one strike his dog; he is always kind to them.” Hear this, ye ladies, who would be right glad that your pretty pets were a hundred times more obedient than you find them.