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badger they had got hold of at Weaford, near the Cheviots. Both the red bitch and the dog of Faa's drew the badger every time they were put in. 'Jock Anderson,' said Geordy, 'the dogs should be mated; let us have a grand drink, the man first doon to lose his dog.' 'Done,' says Jock. They sent for the whisky, which had never paid the king's duty, to Nevison's at the little house, having agreed to give 2s. a quart for it. Down they sat on the green, fair drinking; in eighteen hours Jock tumbled off the cart-shafts, and Geordy started off with the terriers. The two dogs were mated, and produced the first peppers and mustards, which were presented by Geordy to Mr. Davidson (Dandie Dinmont of 'Guy Mannering'); strange to say, the produce were equally the colour of pepper and mustard. The last pair I saw of what I consider perfect Dandies were Robert Donkin's, at Ingram, near Alnwick, just before I left the north in 1838. I have been at shows, but never could identify any Dandies shown as at all like the original breed belonging to the Telfords of Blind Burn, the Elliotts of Cottonshope, the Donkins of Ingram, and other Border farmers. I am not a doggy man, but like to see all old breeds kept distinct."

Many a good terrier was tried, and not found wanting, after the sheep washings, always a red

letter day at the great Border farms, the work of the time being followed by wrestling and other sports, a badger bait or a fox hunt sometimes being part of the programme.

At Alwinton the washin's on,

And loud the lads are singin';

To see the sheep, spang soom and dreep,
The dale wi laughter's ringin'.

Prior to the letters of 1868-9 dog shows had come into favour, and already classes had been provided for Dandie Dinmont terriers, even at such an early date as at Manchester in 1861, and at Birmingham the following year. As a rule these divisions were poorly represented, although in 1863 Mr. Aitken, of Edinburgh, sent a dog to Cremorne, where it was awarded but a third prize, the higher honours being withheld. For some time the variety made little progress, until an eventful show at Birmingham in 1867, where the two judges withheld all the prizes, much to the consternation of the exhibitors, one of whom was the late Rev. W. J. Mellor, who showed his Bandy, which had been placed first at the same show the previous year, and usually won whenever he was benched during three or four subsequent

seasons.

The Rev. Tenison Mosse then came on the scene with his little dog Shamrock; the newspaper

correspondence was having its weight, and the Dandie
Dinmont terrier was increasing in popularity. Next
Sir Douglas entered the ring, much to the chagrin
of Scottish exhibitors, who said he was too big;
and that his sire Harry was a mongrel, which he
was not. Sir Douglas was a handsome, sensible
dog of my own; he was too big, scaling 27lb.,
but he won a considerable number of prizes,
including first at
at the Border show, held at
Carlisle, in 1871, the Rev. J. C. Macdona and Mr.
S. Handley judging; a dog called Punch, also by
Harry, and owned by Mr. Coulthard, being second.
The general public were satisfied with the awards,
but not so many of the Scottish fanciers, who
were terribly cut up at the defeat of their own
cracks.

At this show Mr. Bradshaw Smith, of Blackwood House, Ecclefechan, had four dogs and bitches entered. For about thirty years he had paid considerable attention to the Dandie Dinmont terrier, usually keeping a score of them in his kennels. Some of these were very good-his dog Dirk Hatterick, for instance, who had been written of as the "incomparable Dirk." Shem was another excellent dog. He had a bitch or two even better than either of these, and no doubt the whole of the occupants of his kennels were extremely well bred. They had

"

been "boomed" somewhat, and it came as a great disappointment to many admirers of the breed when at the Border Counties Show they were passed over altogether, owing to bad condition. Dirk was one of the batch entered. As a matter of fact, the inmates of the Blackwood House kennels had for years required a change of blood, they having become so inbred as to be delicate, weedy, and generally unsatisfactory. This was greatly to be deplored, as I believe they had originally been excellent dogs in every way, and Mr. Cook tells us, in his monograph, that some of them would kill a badger outright. On an occasion when their courage was put to a severe test it was the custom to slip a terrier at two badgers at once, when the dog would "pin" the one and at the same time the other badger was inflicting severe punishment, which was borne without a murmur. The same authority says that in 1880 five of the Blackwood House Dandie Dinmont terriers were wilfully poisoned, and unfortunately the miscreant who did the deed was never discovered. When Mr. Bradshaw Smith died in 1882 the kennel consisted of thirteen terriers, which with a single exception were dispersed throughout the border counties. I could never ascertain to whom they went, but there is no doubt that the noted Blackwood House strain has ceased to exist.

About this period Messrs. Robert and Paul Scott, of Jedburgh, who tramped their district as pedlars or hawkers, were well known for the excellent Dandie Dinmont terriers they possessed, and right proud were the two brothers of their strain, and of their dog Peachem. Robert brought his favourite southwards on one or two occasions, winning first at the Crystal Palace Show in 1872, and he also had second given him at Birmingham. Peachem was to my idea an ideal of his race-not too big, not too little, good in coat, colour, and top knot, nicely domed in skull, shapely, well arched in body, and not too crooked in front. Robert Scott was wont to say, "Eh, eh! It's ainlie the joodges can beat Peachem."

Dr. Grant's (of Hawick) terriers and hounds are pleasantly alluded to by "The Druid" in one of his charming volumes. Mr. Nicol Milne, of Faldonside; Mr. F. Somner, West Morritson; Mr. James Atkins, Maryfield; Mr. Hugh Purvis, Leaderfoot; Mr. Nisbet, Rumbleton; with some few others, had leading kennels of this variety when it first came to be recognised by the wily southerners as a desirable dog to keep. They and others bred a good many of them, with which the market was soon supplied, and of such we find those that are with us at the time I write.

. A somewhat noteworthy show was held at Carlisle

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