ls,
which it was agile enough to keep presented to the dog. Suddenly
turning round on its adversary, it caught it with its teeth, in such a
manner that the dog was unable to retaliate. It then dragged the
assailant to the River Derwent, into which it plunged it overhead, and
lying down upon it, kept it in the water till it was drowned.

Though the ass is frequently the subject of ill treatment, yet it seems
to be an animal not without affection for its master, which in many
cases we may suppose to be returned by kindness and care on his part. A
pleasing instance to this effect we have in the following anecdote: "An
old man, who some time ago sold vegetables in London, had an ass which
carried his baskets from door to door. He frequently gave the poor
industrious creature a handful of hay, or some pieces of bread or
greens, by way of refreshment and reward. The old man had no need of
any goad for the animal, and seldom, indeed, had he to lift up his hand
to drive it on. His kind treatment was one day remarked to him, and he
was asked whether the beast was not apt to be stubborn. 'Ah!' he said,
'it is of no use to be cruel; and as for stubbornness, I cannot
complain, for he is ready to do any thing or go any where. I bred him
myself. He is sometimes skittish and playful, and once ran away from
me: you will hardly believe it, but there were more than fifty people
after him, attempting in vain to stop him; yet he turned back of
himself, and never stopped till he ran his head kindly into my bosom.'"

The following is a pleasing anecdote of the sagacity of the ass, and
the attachment displayed by the animal to his master. Thomas Brown
travelled in England as a pedler, having an ass the partner of his
trade. From suffering under paralysis, he was in the habit of assisting
himself on the road by keeping hold of the crupper of the saddle, or
more frequently the _tail_ of the ass. During a severe winter some
years ago, whilst on one of his journeys, the old man and his ass were
suddenly plunged into a wreath of snow. There they lay far from help,
and ready to perish.

At last, after a severe struggle, the poor ass got out; but, finding
his unfortunate master absent, he eyed the snow-bank some time with a
wistful look, and at last forced his way through it to where his master
lay, when, placing his body in such a position as to allow him to lay a
firm hold on his tail, the honest pedler was enabled to grasp it, and
was actually