THE DOG OF MONTARGIS.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1859, 17 December 1874, Page 3

THE DOG OF MONTARGIS.

(MOM THE IOKDON.TmBS.) .' ApropW btth* pwsent controversy as to thaiiwalitjrdf a Vecentcanofcat^betaMiu a man and a dog near Birmingham, many of our readers who hare stopped at Montargis, onHh* route from Fans to' Lyons, will remember the story of the dog Montargis, who.fought with the murderer of his masfelp and avenged his blood. In the great hall of that town, before its demolition, there iftas a fresco, fainting over the the fitepince representing the strange duel, which was fought according to tradition, in the presence of, Charles yl., in the lists * of ttie'llp d« Kotre Dame* at Paris. The story infold.'at length in Mefrnoires sur les x)uels.' It runs as follows:—One day, M. Aubrey deMonfc Didier, a gentleman of birth and-influence, was journeying alone through the lonely forest of Bondy whenjta was attacked by robbers and killed^ns body being buried,Tby. the assassins under a.tree hard by a Spot where he fell.' *For some days an English bloodhound whom ha had with him kept watch over, Ms gra\;e r till compelled by .hunger to quit the post. On this the dog made his way to the house of a friend of the deceased "gentleman at Paris, where the strangeness of his manners, coupled with the fact of hifjiavmg'conie back Jwjthput" His master, roused much curiosity, and wonder.., As 'soon as he had been fed he kept running towards the door of the house and then back to his master's friend, pulling him. by, the sleeve, and used all sorts of dumb eloquence as if he wanted him to follow. At last the friend resolved to follow the leading of the dog, who made bis way to the forest, and went straight to the loot ,of the tree where his murdered master lay! Here the dog began te> howl piteously, scratching up the earth with his paws and showing his wish that the place should be dug out". Upon digging a few feet, the friend and his companions came upon th« body "of M. Mont Didier, bearing the wounds which had been inflicted upon it by,the knife of the murderer. For some timi?, however, no trace of the actual assassin could be found, till one day the dog met in the streets of Paris a certain Chevalier named Macaire, whom h« instantly tried to seize by the,throat' with great fury. This strange conduct on the part of a quiet and peaceful I animal was repeated on a second occasion, and as it was known that Macaire had been a personal enemy of Mont Didier, grave suspicions began to be aroused At length the affair reached the ears of the King, who being anxious that the matter should be thoroughly sifted, sent for Macaire and also for the dog, who was gentle and playful until he scented Macaire in the crowd of courtiers standing around the King, when, as usual, he showed the fiercest hostility towards him. Struck by such an undesigned piece of circumstantial" evidence, the King at once ordered that the decision should be referred to the trial by battle, or, "appeal to the judgment of God," and a combat was ordered to be held between the chevalier and the dog in the Ilede Notre Dame, which then was almost an open apace. The terms of the encounter were that the dog was to have an empty cask to retreat into after he had made Tiis springs at his 'foe, while th£man was allowed a cudgel by way of arms. Everything was prepared for the duel,; when the dog no sooner found himself free and face to face with" his antagorii st than lie began running round and round Macaire, avoiding his blows, until at last he seized him,fairly by the throat, and after a severe struggle succeeded in laying him prostrate on the ground. The Chevalier was rescued from the dog's grip by the bystanders, and conscience-stricken, in the presence of the King, his court, and the rest of the spectators, he acknowleged his guilt. A few days, afterwards he expiated his crime upon tlie scaffold. The "Dog of Montargis" is a well-known tale in France, where its substantialtruth is not doubted, and if has been:, we believe,, theisubject of> at all* extents obe popular drama." "? '■' \