by Alfred Elwes
INTRODUCTION.
BY MISS MINETTE GATTINA.
It may seem peculiar to any but an inhabitant of this renowned city ofCaneville, that one of _our_ nation should venture on the task ofbringing to the notice of the world the memoir I have undertaken to edit.But, besides that in this favoured place animals of all kinds learn todwell in tolerable harmony together, the subject of this biography had soendeared himself to all classes and to every tribe by his kindness ofheart, noble devotion, and other dog-like qualities, that there was not acat, in spite of the supposed natural antipathy existing between thegreat feline and canine races, who would not have set up her back andfought to the last gasp in defence of this dear old fellow.
Many a time has he saved me from the rough treatment of rude andill-conducted curs, when I have been returning from a concert, ortripping quietly home after a pleasant chat with a friend. Often andoften, when a kitten, has he carried me on his back through the streets,in order that I might not wet my velvet slippers on a rainy day: andonce, ah! well do I remember it, he did me even greater service; for awicked Tom of our race, who had often annoyed me with his attentions, hadactually formed a plan of carrying me off to some foreign land, and wouldhave succeeded too, if dear Doggy had not got scent of the affair, andpounced on that treacherous Tom just as he was on the point of executinghis odious project.
I can speak of these things _now_ without the slightest fear of beingaccused of vanity. If I say my eyes were beautifully round and green,they are so no longer. If I boast of the former lightness of my step, itdrags, alas! but too heavily now. If I dwell on the sweetness of my voiceand melody of my purr at one period, little can be said in their favourat the present day, and I feel therefore less scruple in dilating on theelegance of my figure, and the taste of my _toilette_, as, when speakingof them, I seem to be referring to another individual Puss, with whom theactual snuffy old Tabby has little or no connection.
But, it will be said, these last matters have not much to do with theobject I have in hand. I must not attempt to palm off on my readers anyadventures of my own under the shadow of a dog. I must rather allow myCat's-paw to perform the office for which it has become noted, namely,that of aiding in the recovery of what its owner is not intended toparticipate. I must endeavour to place before the world of Caneville, tobe thence transmitted to the less civilized portions of the globe, thoseincidents in our Dog's life which he has been too modest to relatehimself, in order that after-generations may fully appreciate all thegoodness of his character. To _greatness_, he had no pretension, althoughfew animals are aware how close is the relation between these twoqualities.
I think I see the dear old Dog now, as it has been often my privilege tobehold him, seated in his large arm-chair, his hair quite silvered withage, shading his thoughtful, yet kindly face, his pipe in his paw, hisfaithful old friend by his side, and surrounded by a group of attentivelisteners of both sexes, who seemed to hang upon every word of wisdom asit dropped from his mouth; all these spring to my mind when I recal hisimage, and if I were a painter I think I should have no difficulty inpresenting to my readers this pleasant "family party." The very room inwhich these meetings were held comes as strongly to my recollection asthe various young and old dogs who were wont to assemble there. Plainlyfurnished, it yet boasted some articles of luxury; works of statuary andpainting, presented to old Job by those who admired his goodness, or hadbeen the objects of his devotion.
One of these, a statuette representing a fast little dog upon a tastefulpedestal, used often to excite my curiosity, the more because Job showedno inclination to gratify it. I managed, however, at last to get at theincident which made Job the possessor of this comical little figure, andas the circumstance worthily illustrates his character, I will relate itas the anecdote was told to me.
It was once a fashion in Caneville, encouraged by puppies of the superiorclasses, to indulge in habits of so strange a nature as to meet on statedoccasions for the express purpose of trying their skill and strength inset combats; and although the most frightful consequences often ensued,these assemblies were still held until put down by the sharp tooth of thelaw. The results which ensued were not merely dangerous to life, butcreated such a quarrelsome disposition, that many of these dogs werenever happy but when fighting; and the force granted them by nature forself-defence was too often used most wantonly to the annoyance of theirneighbours. It one day happened that Job was sitting quietly on a steepbank of the river where it runs into the wood at some distance from thecity, at one moment watching the birds as they skimmed over the water, atanother following the movements of a large fish, just distinguishablefrom the height, as it rose at the flies that dropped upon the stream;when three dogs, among the most celebrated fighters of the time, passedby that way. Two of them were of the common class, about the size andweight of Job; the other was a young puppy of good family, whose tasteshad unfortunately led him into such low society. Seeing the mildexpression of Job's face, and confident in their own prowess, theyresolved to amuse themselves at his expense, and to this end drew near tohim. Unobserved by their intended victim, with a rapid motion theyendeavoured to push him head foremost into the river, Master Puppy havingdexterously seized hold of his tail to make the somersault more complete.Job, although thus unexpectedly set upon from behind, was enabled, by theexertion of great strength, to defeat the object of his assailants. Inthe struggle which ensued, his adversaries discovered that, in spite oftheir boasted skill, they had more than found their match. One of themgot rolled over into the stream, out of which he managed to crawl withconsiderable difficulty half a mile lower down; the second took to hisheels, with his coat torn, and his person otherwise disordered; and thefashionable Pup, to his great horror, found himself seized in theformidable jaws of the unoffending but own angry dog. Imagine how muchhis terror was increased when Job, carrying him, as I would a mouse, tothe edge of the precipitous bank, held him sheer over the roaring river.The poor fellow could not swim, he had a perfect antipathy to the water,and he felt himself at that moment on the point of being consigned tocertain death without a chance of safety. But he did not know the nobleheart of the animal he had offended. Job let him feel for a few dreadfulseconds the danger to which he had been so thoughtlessly and in jokeabout to consign himself, and then placed him in safety on the bank, withthe admonition to reflect for the future on the probable result of hisdiversions before he indulged in them, and to consider whether, althoughamusing to himself, such games might not be fatal to the animals on whomthey were played off. The shivering puppy was too much alarmed at thetime to attend either to the magnanimity of his antagonist or the wisdomof his advice, but they were evidently not lost upon him. Many can beartestimony to the change which that hour wrought in his character; andsome weeks after the event, Job received that statue of his littleadversary, which had so often struck me, executed by a native artist,with a long letter in verse, a beautiful specimen of doggrel; indeed,gifts both equally creditable to the sculptor and the writer, and mosthonourable to the animal in whose favour they had been executed.
My task will scarce be thought complete without a few words concerningthe personal appearance of my old friend; although, perhaps, few thingscould be more difficult for me to describe. Dogs and cats are apt toadmire such very different forms of beauty, that the former often callbeautiful what we think just the reverse. He was tall, strong, and ratherstout, with a large bushy tail, which waved with every emotion of hismind, for he rarely disguised his feelings. His features were consideredregular, though large, his eyes being particularly bright and full, andthe upper part of his head was broad and high.
But none who knew Job ever thought of his being handsome or otherwise.You seemed to love him for something more than you could see, somethingwhich had little to do with face, or body, or tail, and yet appeared inthem all, and shone clearly out of his eyes; I mean the spirit ofgoodness, which made him so remarkable, and was so much a part of Job,that I do believe a lock of his hair worn near one's own hear
t would helpto make it beat more kindly to one's fellow creatures. This idea may beconsidered too fanciful, too cat-like, but I believe it notwithstanding.
Such was the Dog whose autobiography I have great pleasure in presentingto the world. Many may object to the unpolished style in which hismemoirs are clothed, but all who knew him will easily pardon every wantof elegance in his language; and those who had not the honour of hisacquaintance, will learn to appreciate his character from the plainspirit of truth which breathes in every line he wrote. I again affirmthat I need make no apology for attaching my name to that of one soworthy the esteem of his co-dogs, ay, and co-cats too; for in spite ofthe differences which have so often raised up a barrier between themembers of his race and ours, not even the noblest among us could bedegraded by raising a "mew" to the honour of such a thoroughly honestdog.
MINETTE GATTINA.
THE UPPER MEWS, CANEVILLE.