and instantly made the best of his way to London. His fear of being again secured was evidently the cause of his permitting no one to handle, or hardly touch him. He was therefore allowed his liberty, and had leave to roam wherever he liked. He had long known every part of the premises-also his way about town; consequently, there was little or no danger of his becoming one of the ་ lost, stolen, or strayed' of the canine greenhorns. He soon found the longed and watched for moment of getting into the chamber of horrors, the devilish loose box, wherein he had passed many a happy hour, with his poor slaughtered comrade, and when once in, no power on earth could remove him. The new head ostler attempted to drive him out at the fork's-end, but Truthful quickly let him know that that game would never do for him. He gained the day, and was allowed to remain lord of all he surveyed.' Not very long after this defeat, the ostler on taking him food and water, discovered him hard at work and fully occupied in routling and scratching up the stones, and so far had he succeeded that he had removed two of them, and commenced burrowing down into the ground as if in pursuit of some live animal that had run to earth. The man, who naturally imagined that he was rat-hunting, rated him, drove him off, replaced the stones and straw, and once more left him to himself, rather pleased than otherwise upon shutting the door on him, as from his angry looks, and a display of a set of formidable teeth the dog was certainly not very safe company for a single visitor to undertake the duty of correcting him. The next person to enter the box, however, was the landlord, the only one to whom Truthful had shown the slightest civility for paid the least attention; indeed, the only one who could do anything at all with him, and who hearing his man's exaggerated account, as he thought, of his temper went to judge for himself; for he was really much attached to the dog, and would have done anything he could rather than have had him destroyed. He was accompanied by the alarmed foreman, for it was late at night, who held the lantern, that same gloomy light which had shed hellish a halo o'er an unparalleled massacre. On approaching him, the master was astonished to perceive that there was indeed little or nothing of the dog to be seen, he had again torn up the stones, and had effectually buried himself alive, and was still throwing up the dirt as hard as he was able; growling, snorting, and moaning over his labours, all anxiety and excitement. Coming close to him he cried out,

"What the dickins have you got after, Truthful? What have you got hold of there, tugging so hard at? Here, Jem, give me the lantern, let us see what the dog's about, for I fancy I smell a horrible stench. Don't you?'

"Well, I could not help thinking so, too, sir,' answered the man respectfully, at the same time handing the lantern to the landlord. Whereupon holding it to the hole :

"I can see nothing,' he said, 'unless we can get the dog away, so here goes;' and suiting the action to the word, he thrust in his arm, and seizing the dog by the tail, he by main force drew him out, calling hin kindly by name, and otherwise pacifying his agitation and anger.

"Now, look here, Jem,' continued the master, 'catch him tightly by the skin at the back of the pole. Hold him you must, if its only

for a minute; there, that's it, he can't bite you so; come, don't be afraid of him.' Doing as he was bid, although the white feather was predominant, the man resolutely impaled the struggling Truthful, now frenzied for his liberty. The landlord lost no time in his examination, for pushing the light far into the already large hollow, he immediately ran to the corner of the stable, and procured a shovel, the identical shovel which had assisted at the making of this unhallowed grave. Two or three extra stones were quickly placed on one side, and then a few shovels-ful of rubbish followed suit, by which movement the object of the dog's exertions were at once disclosed. After peering at it as near as he possibly could for a short time, he drew back his head, and throwing up his arms with an exclamation of horror, shouted,

"Gracious heavens! it is the horse's legs: now I see it all." He then dropped the lantern, staggering confusedly out of the box; his man, loosing Truthful, helped him back to the house. The faithful dog returned to his work with renewed energy. 'Murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ,' which surely Truthful was now entitled to be designated; for had he not spoken with most miraculous instinct? His sagacity had pointed out the whereabouts of the battered and shattered victims, who were that same night discovered in the terrible position described to you at the time of Scarth's committing his awful crime. The horse being first brought to the surface by the aid of pullies, the mangled and flattened remains of the generous, kind, and beloved Mr. Griffiths were placed on a bed of straw by its side. A more heart-rending and sickening spectacle could scarcely be imagined.

"Justice soon set to work in earnest to discover the lurking place of the murderer Scarth, and seize upon him unawares if they could, but they failed in all they strenuous endeavours to do so, being unaccountably always thrown off the scent. So cunningly had he managed his retreat, and so shifty had been his movements that the hue and cry' reached him in time to make fresh arrangements for his safety. Disposing in secret of his business to a man who had previously been anxious to take it, he determined on an attempt to fly the country. The more effectually and promptly to carry out his intention, he at once thoroughly disguised himself, and with a boldness and ingenuity worthy of a better cause, came without delay to London and took a berth for Australia.

"There is a special Providence even in the fall of a sparrow,' and I feel confident," continued the Professor with a serious expression, "that there is often a special Providence which draws up the veil of hidden crime. The scene again changes. About a month after the finding of the bodies the landlord of the Castle and Falcon, accompanied by Truthful, started on a walk towards the London Docks, where having business to transact, he entered an office of a wine and spirit merchant. He had not been long engaged on his affairs, when a loud shouting and swearing proclaimed a row outside. Upon going to the door, he was informed that it was a terrible fight between a man and a great big dog, who wouldn't let him pass.' Hurrying instantly into the thick of it, imagine his consternation and surprise at immediately recognising Truthful in mortal combat with the already half vanquished Scarth. In another instant he was secured. I will

Sir John?.

4. French draught horse of the Percheron breed.

London, Published by Rogerson & Tuxford 265, Strand. 1870

not detain you longer by recounting how he was tried, confessed, and was hanged; but I trust that my story has not failed in its object, namely, to be handed down as one more convincing proof of that incomprehensible instinct, hat inscrutable sagacity in dogs, which, scarcely stopping short of reason, has astonished the world with its Canine Detectives." "

"I own myself converted," exclaimed Sir Popjoy, as they all rose to depart, "there is no standing out against such facts as these." "

"I am delighted to hear it," returned the Professor, with an air of pride; "for facts they are, and well authenticated."

"But there is something more than natural in this, if philosophy could find it out."

"For my part," insinuated the Baron de Bonchose, "I am perfectly satisfy vith the truth of it; next to man in intelligence, I esteem ze dog and ze horse, and I trust ve shall have many future occasions to continue ze subject. Mais ze vanton murdare of zat beau cheval I shall nevare get over for days to come; it run in my head."

ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY E. CORBET.

With a view of improving the cart horses of the country this stallion has been imported by Major Staplyton, of Myton Hall, and is now located near Borobridge in Yorkshire.

Sir John is a good hardy grey in colour, standing sixteen hands and an inch high. Beyond his great muscular power he possesses fine free action, and is a capital horse at work.

The Percheron horses are famed for their hardihood and strength, while they are used in France not merely for heavy draught purposes, but for lighter harness-work in the omnibus and van. So far, however, they are not much known here, but we remember that a Percheron stallion was exhibited at the Battersea great International Meeting, when he took a first prize.

The Percheron horses come from the old province of Le Perche, next to Normandy, and not far from Paris, hence their names-masc., Percheron; fem., Percheronne, and are called "chevaux du Perche,' or "la race Percheronne."

The Percheron horse has a particularly small cannon bone for the size of horse, the texture of which is like ivory, and he moves well. There is another race of horse, called the "Boulonnais," somewhat heavier than the Percheron, as it naturally would be, being so near to Flanders (Boulogne), and this is the type taken by Rosa Bonheur in the "Horse Fair." Baron Fourment had a magnificent Percheron stallion at the agricultural show at Bellancourt in 1867, which covered two of the Essex mares there exhibited by Mr. James Howard, M.P. One of the foals, a very good one, is now at Bedford. It is said that Baron Fourment would not take £1,000 for his stallion, "Turbigo."