at me. I’m not ashamed to confess that I was beforehand with him, and sought ignominious shelter in the sheets. He growled again, and I heard him trot round to his original position at the feet of his master. My case seems ridiculous, but it was really desperate. The wind was blowing dead on me, and what with my Indian constitution and the draughts, I saw myself clearly in for a long course of ills. But it was a full hour before I could resolve what to do: a most miserable hour, I can assure you. I jumped out of bed with all the bed-coverings in my hand — met the savage beast as he was about to spring, and buried him under them. I had just time to shut the window — I was hurrying back to my bed, when I saw his tail emerge, and there was nothing for it but to return to bed as rapidly as I could, and leave him the sheets and blankets. There I remained, as cold as ever, while he took his station on them. There never was such a dog in the manger! If I got hold of the end of a blanket and began to pull, he growled and made a dash at my hand. The very movement of my leg caused him to be up and alert for an encounter. Once I pulled with all my might, and the beast seized the blanket between his teeth and pulled against me. I became enraged. I thought of my original stratagem; and leaping out again, I flung the blanket — or what portion of it was in my possession— straight at him. But this time I was not so successful. I only contrived to blind his eye for a moment — the next we were rolling together over the recumbent Scotchman.
“Hech! is it the deil? I heard him say; and he grasped my foot.
“I lashed out, and sent him roaring backward. Presently he and I were engaged, and burst through the door in our struggle, without much difficulty, right on to the body of my friend’s Scotchman, extended in the manner of his com- rade. He uttered a similar inquiry about the deil! and forthwith joined in the fray. My friend was not long in adding a fourth to this curious nocturnal engagement, the dog all the while barking furiously, and snapping at every leg but his master’s. This lasted, 1 should think, about twenty minutes, at the shortest calculation, when the shepherd and his wife appeared with lights, and I hope they were gratified. But their arrival gave rise to the second case of dead-lock on
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record. None of us would move till the dog was secured. I held my Scotchman firmly; my friend held me; his Scotchman held mine; and mine had got hold of my friend — being tenacious of his quarry, I suppose, for he had nothing to fear; and so we continued till the dog was secured. It was then close upon morning. We all went down stairs, and drank in the day. Nothing extraordinary, you see, but something to laugh at.”
This unlocked us.
“I think I’ll take a little more of your punch, sir,” said Mr. Selby to Mr. Lorquison.