The Adventures of a Dog, and a Good Dog Too | Page 9

morning
broke, and a bright sky smiled beautifully upon the streets of Caneville,
I woke up, sad indeed, but full of hope.
Some ragged curs arrived, and carried the old doggess away. She was
very heavy, and they were forced to use all their strength. I saw her cast
into the water, which she disliked so much alive; I watched her floating
form until the rapid current bore it into the wood, and I stayed sitting
on the brink of the river wondering where it would reach at last, and
what sort of places must lie beyond the trees. I had an idea in my own

mind that the sun rested there all night, only I could not imagine how it
came up again in the morning in quite an opposite quarter; but then I
was such a young and ignorant puppy!
After thinking about this and a good many other matters of no
importance to my story, I got upon my legs, and trotted gently along
the bank, towards a part of the city which I did not remember to have
seen before. The houses were very few, but they were large and
handsome, and all had pretty gardens in nice order, with flowers which
smelt so sweet, that I thought the dogs who could always enjoy such
advantages must be very happy. But one of the houses, larger than all
the rest, very much struck me, for I had never an idea of such a
splendid place being in Caneville. It was upon a little hill that stood at
some distance from the river, and the ground which sloped down from
the house into the water was covered with such beautiful grass, that it
made one long to nibble and roll upon it.
While I was quietly looking at this charming scene, I was startled by a
loud noise of barking and howling higher up the river, and a confused
sound, as if a great many dogs were assembled at one place, all calling
out together. I ran at once in the direction of the hubbub, partly out of
curiosity and in part from some other motive, perhaps the notion of
being able to render some help.
A little before me the river had a sudden bend, and the bank rose high,
which prevented me seeing the cause of the noise; but when I reached
the top, the whole scene was before me. On my side of the river a great
crowd had assembled, who were looking intently upon something in
the water; and on the opposite bank there was a complete stream of
dogs, running down to the hill which belonged to the beautiful house I
had been admiring. Every dog, as he ran, seemed to be trying to make
as much noise as he could; and those I spoke to were barking so loudly,
and jumping about in such a way, that I could at first get no explanation
of what was the matter. At last I saw that the struggling object in the
water was a young puppy, which seemed very nicely dressed, and at the
same moment the mongrel, who had helped me to pick up my matches
the day before, came alongside of me, and said: "Ah, young firefly,

how are you? Isn't this a game? That old Lady Bull who got you such a
drubbing yesterday, is in a pretty mess. Her thirty-second pup has just
tumbled into the water, and will certainly be drowned. Isn't she making
a fuss? just look!"
One rapid glance showed me the grand lady he spoke of, howling most
fearfully on the other side of the stream, while two pups, about the
same size as the one in the water, and a stout dog, who looked like the
papa, were sometimes catching hold of her and then running about, not
knowing what to do.
I stopped no longer. I threw off my over-coat, and running to a higher
part of the bank, leapt into the water, the mongrel's voice calling after
me: "What are you going to do? Don't you know its the son of the old
doggess who had you beat so soundly? Look at your shoulder, where
the hair has been all knocked off with the blows?" Without paying the
least attention to these words, which I could not help hearing they were
called out so loudly, I used all my strength to reach the poor little pup,
who, tired with his efforts to help himself, had already floated on to his
back, while his tiny legs and paws were moving feebly in the air. I
reached him after a few more efforts, and seizing his clothes with my
teeth, I got his head above the water, and swam with my load slowly
towards the bank.