were together, I never heard him
say an unkind thing of living or dead animal. I believe his very silence
was caused by the goodness of his disposition; for as he could not help
seeing many things he did not like, but could not alter, he preferred
holding his tongue to saying what could not be agreeable. Dear, dear Nip!
if ever it should be resolved to erect a statue of goodness in the public
place of Caneville, they ought to take you for a model; you would not be
so pleasant to look on as many finer dogs, but when once known, your
image would be loved, dear Nip, as I learned to love the rugged original.

It can be of no interest to you to hear the many fights we had in
protecting the property of our master during the first few moons after my
arrival. Almost every night we were put in danger of lives, for the curs
came in such large numbers that there was a chance of our being pulled to
pieces in the struggle. Yet we kept steady watch; and after a time,
finding, I suppose, that we were never sleeping at our post, and that our
courage rose with every fresh attack, the thieves gradually gave up open
war, and only sought to entrap the birds by artifice; and, like the foxes
and cats, came sneaking into the grounds, and trusted to the swiftness of
their legs rather than the sharpness of their teeth when Nip or I caught
sight of them.

And thus a long, long time passed away. I had, meanwhile, grown to my
full size, and was very strong and active: not so stout as I have got in
these later years, when my toes sometimes ache with the weight which
rests on them, but robust and agile, and as comely, I believe, as most
dogs of my age and descent.

The uniformity of my life, which I have spoken of as making me so happy,
was interrupted only by incidents that did not certainly cause me
displeasure. I renewed my acquaintance with "Fida," no longer _little_
Fida, for she had grown to be a beautiful lady-dog. Our second meeting
was by chance, but we talked like old friends, so much had our first done
to remove all strangeness. I don't think the next time we saw each other
was quite by accident. If I remember rightly, it was not; and we often
met afterwards. We agreed that we should do all we could to assist one
another, though what _I_ could do for so rich and clever a lady-dog I
could not imagine, although I made the promise very willingly. On her
part, she did for me what I can never sufficiently repay. She taught me
to read, lendi