A MARTYR TO SCIENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 144, 17 June 1873, Page 4

A MARTYR TO SCIENCE.

The following story is vouched for by the ' San Francisco News Letter,' and therefore must be true. At all events it is amusing :— The powerof the human eye over the brute creation is tremendous. If beset by savage dog* simply catch his eye, and the . brute will shink and cower beneath your steady gaze. Briggs came across this valuable piece of information as he was perusing a newspaper. * Wonderful,' said he, ' wonderful, and yet so simple. In the interests of science I will try it upon Jowler's bulldog;' Now, a meaner thing than Jowler's bulldog never worried cat.

His name is William. His legs are marvels of crookedness, especially the hind ones. His eyes are yellow, and he looks out of the corners of his eyes most sinisterly. His body is seamed with scars; not the honorable records of a hundred fights, but the impressions of lambentlyheated pokers, applied for the purpose of relaxing his grip. He has a quiet way about him that is most beguiling. He will saunter behind a fellow's leg looking as demure* as possible, select the most fleshy part, and, without saying a word, make a huge bite and hang there, steadfastly resisting every blandishment in the way of yells, kicks, clubs, &c, to induce him to deßist. Jowler lets him run loose in his back yard. With a mind conscious ;of rectitude, our hero climbed over the fence as calmly as Daniel enters the lions' den in Barnum's menagerie. William was at the other end of the lot, his usual equanimity roused to a pitch of excitement bordering on distraction by some playful boys, who were, poking him with sharp sticks through tbe pickets; but on seeing the intruder he made remarkable time towards him. The undaunted Briggs Btooped down with his hands on his knees and hurled at the approaching animala most searching look, enough to pierce his very soul. Now what follows may be deemed incredible by scientific men, but the truth must be told. That beast never stopped nor swerved, but with erect tail and exceedingly open countenance made a straight shoot for Briggs' nose, and grabbing that organ between his teeth, hung to it like grim death to a dead darkey. -How is this?' thought the poor man. ' Can it be that the newspaper was wrong ? Incredible hypothesis ! I will try again.' Their faces being io most intimate propinquity, the opportunity was a good one, and Briggs once more threw his whole soul into a look. He was triumphant ! The cause of science was never more nobly vindicated. William was petrified, entranced, mesmerised. The will-force contained in that withering glance rendered the dog so completely spell-bound that he even forgot to let go Briggs' nose! Although this proof of the infallibility of newspapers was most pleasing to him., yet his situation was becoming a little irksome; so as a last resort he thrust his forefinger into William's eye. This broke the spell, and Briggs taking advantage of the animal openiog his mouth to bowl, extricated his nose therefrom and struck out for the fence; but before he could reach it the dog had fastened on to his rear with relentless pertinacity. The martyr to science cast a glance over his shocslder that again petrified William into unconsciousness, and things remained in statu quo until Jowler, alarmed by Briggs' cries, came out and called off his dog. Jowler kindly plastered up the wounded man's nose, &c, and lent him a pair of trowsers to go home in. Briggs thinks that though the experiment is a glorious success, it is gaining knowledge under difficulties. The symmetry of his face is gone for ever; also the cartilage of his nose. He may hope to be able to sit down in a few weeks the doctor says,. And never does he read Tennyson's ' Bugle Song ' without the tear of sympathy trickling down his own poor misshapen bugle. .