ey had a mastiff dog called Jumbo, ever so high and ever so
huge, with great hanging chaps (which are pronounced chops, you know) on
both sides of his jaws. If you never saw him open his mouth, I can
scarcely give you any idea of it; but if you have seen pictures of
Vesuvius during an eruption, think of the crater. It was said by his
master that Jumbo would never hurt a fly, but that was not the point
with those who were not flies, and all these stood in great fear of him.
It is very little satisfaction to one who meets an elephant in his
morning's walk, in a narrow way, to have read that that creature is the
most gentle of mammals (or mammoths); and similarly there was no knowing
what catastrophe might not take place from the presence of Jumbo, though
he might not mean to bring it about. He was positively too tremendous
for society; while, out-of-doors, I never knew a dog so respected--and
avoided--by other dogs.

To see Jumbo and Fluff together was to behold the meeting of two
extremes of the animal creation; the introduction of the King of
Brobdingnag to the Princess of Lilliput, or of Chang, the Chinese giant,
to Mrs. General Tom Thumb. Yet, if you will believe me, on Jumbo's first
appearance on our drawing-room rug, Fluff scampered up to him (all on
one side, as usual) and hung on to his tail! The moment was one of
terrible suspense, not only to her, but to the spectators generally,
except Charley, who said, "Oh, Jumbo won't mind," which might or might
not have been the case; for it is my fixed conviction that that noble
animal was totally unaware of what was taking place, so to speak, behind
his back, and to this hour is ignorant of the indignity that was put
upon him.

One Sunday morning, in midwinter, Jumbo called without his master, and
walked into the back parlor without being announced; there was no living
creature there except himself and Fluff, and when the family entered the
room _there was only Jumbo_. They looked everywhere for his late (yes,
his _late_) companion; but she had vanished. Whither? To this vital
question it seemed to their horrified minds that there was but one
reply; it was in vain for Jumbo to assume an indifferent air, as though
he would say, "How should _I_ know?" The accusation that trembled on
every lip was, "The dog has swallowed her." He looked about the same
size as usual, but that was nothing; fifty Fluffs would not have made
any external difference. One of his chaps, indeed, see