knocked at the gate, and said to the owner of the
premises 'You have got Sir Thomas Lauder's big dog.' The man denied it.
'But I know you have,' continued the letter carrier, 'I can swear that I
heard the bark of Sir Thomas's big dog; for there is no dog in, or about
all Edinburgh, that has such a bark.' At last, with great reluctance,
the man gave up the dog to the letter carrier, who brought him home
here. But though Bass's bark is so terrific, he is the best natured and
most playful dog I ever saw; so much so indeed, that the small King
Charles's spaniel, Raith, used to tyrannize over him for many months
after he came here from abroad. I have seen the little creature run
furiously at the great animal when gnawing a bone, who instantly turned
himself submissively over on his back, with all his legs in the air,
whilst Raith, seizing the bone, would make the most absurd and
unavailing attempts to bestride the enormous head of his subdued
companion, with the most ludicrous affectation of the terrible growling,
that might bespeak the loftiest description of dog-indignation. When a
dog attacks Bass in the street or road, he runs away rather than
quarrel; but when compelled to fight by any perseverance in the
attacking party, he throws his enemy down in a moment, and then,
without biting him, he lays his whole immense bulk down upon him, till
he nearly smothers him. He took a particular fancy for one of the
postmen who deliver letters here, whose duty it was, besides delivering
letters, to carry a letter bag from one receiving house to another, and
this bag he used to give Bass to carry. Bass always followed that man
through all the villas in this neighbourhood where he had deliveries to
make, and he invariably parted with him opposite to the gate of the
Convent of St. Margaret's, and returned home. When our gate was shut
here to prevent his following the postman, the dog always leaped a high
wall to get after him. One day when the postman was ill, or detained by
some accidental circumstance, he sent a man in his place. Bass went up
to the man, curiously scanning his face, whilst the man rather retired
from the dog, by no means liking his appearance. But as the man left the
place, Bass followed him, shewing strong symptoms that he was determined
to have the post-bag. The man did all he could to keep possession of it.
But at length Bass, seeing that he had no chance of getting possession
of the bag by civil entreaty, raised hi