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19 Our Dumb Animals 1 (1886-1887)

handle is hein.journals/animals19 and id is 1 raw text is: I would not enrnmy:is of friends, Though graced with polished manners and fine sense, Yet wanting sensibility, the man Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.- CoWPER. Vol. 19. Polly's Lion. We talk of men being brave, said Mr. R-, as he and I sat in front of his neat little farm- house in one of the northern prov- inces of Russia, with the smooth green meadows of the pasture land in front of us, and the sombre pine-forest behind; but I've al- ways thought that for real down- right fearlessness, there's nothing in the world like a child. Itdoesn't fear anything, because it hasn't yet got the idea that anything would ever think of hurtiig it. There's my little Polly, now-I don't believe there's a living crea- ture that she'd be afraid of. At that moment Polly herself came scampering past, with her long curls flying in the wind, laugh- ing and clapping her tiny hands, and evidently enjoying herself to the utmost. Plenty of life there, eb P said her father, smiling, and I'll be bound her playfellow won't be long ,behind her. See, there he comes! And up came a splendid English mastiff, almost as.big as a young calf. The moment he caught sight of the child, he bounded up to her, rubbed his great head lovingly against her shoulder, and saluted her with a joyous bark that made the distant woods echo again. They're fast friends, those two, laughed my host, and 'd like to see anything try to hurt her while Lion's by her side. Their acquaintance began in a rather odd way, though, and I can tell you it made me feel rather uncom- fortable at the time, although it all ended better than I expected. If you care to hear the story, I'll tell it. You see, when we first came to live here, five years ago, the place was nothing like as civilized as it is now. The woods came almost up to the house then, and in winter we used to find the tracks of the wolves quite thick all around the house, every morning. Then, too, there were some troublesome fellows in the village yonder Boston, June, 1886. J POLLY'S LION. (luckily they're all gone now) who didn't seem over well pleased at seeing an Englishmansettle among ther, and for the first few months I was always expecting to be attacked. So I got this big dog of mine from a friend at Moscow, and made a hutch for him in the yard, that we might have a senti- nel. And a capital sentinel he made, I will say that for him; but he was so fierce that we had to keep him chained up night and day at the other end of the courtyard, which was some distance from the house. My servants, when they fed him, used to No. 1. put the food within his reach with a long-handled ' scoop,' and then make off as fast as they could; and, knowing that Polly was cer- tain to try and make friends with him as she did with everything else, I wished myself well rid of him before he'd been with us a, week. However, by dint -of keeping the dog always in the yard, and Polly always out of it, we man- aged to get along well enough for a while; and although she would sometimes talk pityingly of ' the poor dogr ' having nobody to play with, anad never getting a holiday, I thought nothing of it, till one fine day Polly was missing! We hunted high and low, but no Polly; we called and called, but no answer. I was beginning to get rather anxious, when all at once the thought struck me, could she have gone into the yard to look at the dog? I don't think I ever got such a fright in my life; but I said nothing to my wife about it for fear of frightening her too. I just snatched up my big stick, and down I rushed. At the door that led into the court, I met my Russian servant, Mikhail (Mich- ael), who was looking half-scared and half-amused. He held up one hand as if warning me to make no noise, and pointed with the other toward the end of the yard. I peeped over his shoulder, and there I did see a sight, and no mistake. The dog was sitting upright just in front of his kennel propped up on his forepaws; and there was Polly standing beside him, with one arm around his great thick neck, and the other hand held out, saying, ' Paw, doggie-give me a paw!' But when she saw that he didn't seem to understand her, she actually took hold of his great yellow paw, and shook it as hard as she could; and then she patted him on the head, and said: ' Good doggie-learn to shake hands!' 2

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