then ran to the back-door of the
house, from whence he took the road to a neighbouring hill.

"His master and I followed him. The dog ran, highly pleased, a little
distance before us, showing us the way we should take. After we had
proceeded about forty paces, he gave us to understand that we should
turn to the left, by pressing repeatedly against his master, and
pushing him towards the road that turned to the left. We followed his
direction, and he accompanied us a few paces, but suddenly he turned
to the right, running round the whole of the hill. We still proceeded
to the left, slowly up the ascent, till we were nearly arrived at its
summit, the dog in the meantime making the circuit of the hill to the
right. He was now already higher than we were, when he gave a sudden
bark, and that moment a hare ran before the muzzle of his master's
gun, and, of course, met her fate."

A gentleman had a pointer so fleet that he often backed him to find
birds in a ten-acre field within two minutes, if there were birds in
it. On entering the field, he seemed to know by instinct where the
birds would lie, generally going up to them at once. His nose was so
good, that with a brisk wind, he would find his game a hundred and
fifty yards off across the furrows. He could tell whether a bird was
hit, and if so would retrieve it some fields off from where it was
shot. He would never follow a hare unless it was wounded. He would
point water-fowl as well as all birds of game, and has been seen
pointing a duck or a moor-hen with the water running over his back at
the time. Nothing seemed to spoil this dog, not even rat and otter
hunting, in both of which he was an adept, as he knew his business;
and although he would rattle through a wood, he was perfectly steady
the next minute out of cover. He has been known to continue at a point
two hours. In high turnips he would contrive to show his master where
he was, standing sometimes on his hind legs only, so that his head and
fore-quarters might be seen. On one occasion he came at full speed so
suddenly on a hare, that he slipped up, and fell nearly on his back.
In this position he did not move, and it was thought he was in a fit,
till the hare jumped up and was killed, when the dog righted himself.
So steady was he in backing another dog when game was found, that he
once caught sight of a point at the moment of jumping a stile, and
balanced himself on it for several seconds till he fell. Once whe