Dirk! Friends, Bruce lad!"

"How!"

"Hooorr!"

The utterances of the two dogs, as they accepted their master's orders,
and began patting the white counterpane with their tails, while
Sneeshing uttered a series of short barks, shook his head, and shuffled
backwards, evidently laughing dogly with delight, and ending by getting
his muzzle on Kenneth's breast and lying quite still.

"Oh, I say, this is a treat!" said Kenneth, with a sigh of satisfaction,
as his hands were busy pulling the dogs' ears, and drawing the skin
sideways, so as to show the whites of their eyes.

"Don't let them stay long."

"Why not? Does me more good than old Curzon's dollops. I'll get up
to-morrow, and have the boat for a sail."

Dirk set up his ears at this, and began to bark as if he understood,
and, rising on all-fours, he pawed at Kenneth, as he would have done at
a sick sheep on the mountain-side, to make it rise.

The result of this action was to make Sneeshing resent the caressing of
the intrusive paw, which twice over scraped him, and he snapped at,
seized it, and held on.

Dirk howled out, "Don't! you hurt!" in dog.

Bruce gave vent to an angry bark at Sneeshing, who, however, held the
tighter, uttering a low worrying snarl.

"Let me send them away now, Kenneth!" cried Max.

"What? Why, it's glorious! Hold tight, Sneeshing!"

A tremendous barking began now, for Dirk was losing his temper, and in
another minute he would have dragged Sneeshing out of his snug place,
for he had seized him by the loose skin at the back of his neck, when
Kenneth shouted at them, and the disturbance ceased.

"I say, Max," he cried, "did you ever see Sneeshing dance the fling?
No, I never showed you. Here, give me those joints of my fly-rod," and
he pointed to them in a corner of the room.

Max fetched them; and as Kenneth took them and let them fall over his
shoulder, Sneeshing shuffled out of the bedclothes and began to bark.

"Draw out that pillow," said Kenneth.

Max obeyed wonderingly; and rather feebly, but laughing the while,
Kenneth tucked the pillow half under his left arm.

"What are you going to do?" cried Max.

"Wait a moment, and you'll see. Get back, you two--get back!"

Dirk and Bruce backed to the bottom of the bed, and sat up watching
eagerly, while Sneeshing threw up his head and howled.

"Quiet, stupid!" cried Kenneth; "it isn't Tonal'."

"How wow!" howled Sneeshing.

"Be quiet, sir! Yes, I will."

He t