reappeared with a big shad of about three and a half or four pounds'
weight in his jaws. Climbing on to the rock he dropped the fish, which
he did not appear to have injured much, as it began floundering about
in an exceedingly lively manner. I was astonished and looked back at
the dog's master; but there he stood in the same place, smoking and
paying no attention to what his animal was doing. Again the dog
plunged in and brought out a second big fish and dropped it on the
flat rock, and again and again he dived, until there were five big
shads all floundering about on the wet rock and likely soon to be
washed back into the water. The shad is a common fish in the Plata and
the best to eat of all its fishes, resembling the salmon in its rich
flavour, and is eagerly watched for when it comes up from the sea by
the Buenos Ayres fishermen, just as our fishermen watch for mackerel
on our coasts. But on this evening the beach was deserted by every
one, watchers included, and the fish came and swarmed along the rocks,
and there was no one to catch them--not even some poor hungry idler to
pounce upon and carry off the five fishes the dog had captured. One by
one I saw them washed back into the water, and presently the dog,
hearing his master whistling to him, bounded away.

For many years after this incident I failed to find any one who had
even seen or heard of a dog catching fish. Eventually, in reading I
met with an account of fishing-dogs in Newfoundland and other
countries.

One other strange adventure met with on the front remains to be told.
It was about eleven o'clock in the morning and I was on the parade,
walking north, pausing from time to time to look over the sea-wall to
watch the flocks of small birds that came to feed on the beach below.
Presently my attention was drawn to a young man walking on before me,