ADMIRAL AND DOG.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 20, 14 May 1892, Page 509

ADMIRAL AND DOG.

Sailors, like horsemen, have a tendency to become bowlegged, and the peculiarity is not confined to common seamen. An old admiral, whose long sea-service had given his legs a decided outward curvature, once had a singular adventure on this account with a ship’s pet. The crew of the ship owned a large Newfoundland dog, and the sailors, in their leisure moments, took great pains with his education, and were especially successful in teaching him to jump. His most frequent exploit was managed in this way : A man, standing up, would put one foot against his other knee, thus making a hole for Nep, the dog, to make his leap through. The dog always jumped through the aperture readily, though if his trainer’s legs happened to be short, it was sometimes a rather tight squeeze. One fine day the admiral came aboard from the flag-ship on a visit of inspection. Happening to walk to the forward part of the ship, he stood there for a few minutes conversing with the officers who had attended him. Here he was spied by the dog, who was taking his airing on deck among the sailors.

Nep stood a moment surveying the admiral’s bow-legs. They seemed to strike him as affording the best chance for a running leap, after his peculiar fashion, that he had seen for many a day. Suddenly the dog made a rush at the legs, and a mad leap through the tempting gap. In astonishment at the black tornado that had passed beneath him, the admiral whirled quickly about to see what was the cause. The dog took this action as a signal for an ‘ encore,’and jumped again. Once more the admiral turned, and again the dog jumped. The bewildered face of the admiral and the serious attention of Nep to what he imagined was his business were too much for the gravity of the bystanders, and forgetting the respect due to rank, they all burst into laughter. A sailor, however, had enough presence of mind to break from the crowd and catch the dog by the collar. He led him off, and as he did so Nep seemed to wonder why he did not receive the praise due to such spirited efforts. The excited admiral got but an imperfect explanation of the affair from the spectators, for they could hardly tell him that his legs had been used as a kind of circus-hoop by a forecastle dog. Perhaps to his dying day the occurrence was a mystery to him.