PEP A

THE STORY OF
BRAVE DOG
CLARENCE HAWKES
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ForTHEBLIND inc.
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11
Pep sniffed at his master's face eagerly.'
Page 96
 PEP
CTTtte Storey- of at

JByr
CLARENCE ILWKES
ILLUSTRATED By
WILLIAM VAS DRESSER

1923

MILTON BRADLEY COMPANY

SPR-INGFIELD - MASSACHUSETTS
 Copyright, 1922
By MILTON BRADLEY COMPANY
Springfield, Massachusetts

All Rights Reserved

Bradley Quality Boob

Printed in United States of America

 To Dog-Lovers,
the whole world over,
this oook is fraternally
dedicated
 INTRODUCTION
A FRIEND TO MAN

By Clarence Hawkes

is almost like a stern irony of fate,

IT
that man's faithful, gentle friend, the
dog, should have sprung from one of the
most thoroughly hated and despised brutes
in the animal kingdom, the wolf.
Yet this is a scientific fact. The wolf,
with all his meanness and skulking cunning,
is the progenitor of man's friend, the dog.
They belong to the same family, their
breeding habits are alike, and the wolf is as
surely the father of the dog, as was brute
man, the cave dweller, the ancestor of the
highly civilized creature we now know.
In the case of the man it has taken untold
ages to bring about the change, and so it has
in the case of the dog. When in the dark
6 Introduction

ages the brute man crouched over his camp-

fire, gazing fearfully into the darkness about

him, encompassed by superstition and igno-

rance, the gray wolf hung upon the outskirts
of his campfire.
This man creature, that ran upon two
legs instead of four, who had such strange
power over fire and water, and over the
forces of nature and the wild kindred, fas-
cinated and drew him with a terrible power.
Try as he would he could not keep away
from him. Often this man creature
wounded him with his sharp stick. He also
poisoned the wolf pack, but still they could
not be driven away, for it was an unwritten
law of nature that some day they should be
inseparable.
So the wolf skulked upon the trail of the
primitive man, until the famine, or the cold,
or some other stern necessity brought them
together.
Indians, even now in the far north, often
take the wolf whelps from the den and play
with them, and they refer to the wolf as
" Grandfather's dog," showing that they un-
derstand the gradual evolution of the dog.
 Introduction 7

You can Better understand this if you visit

any of their villages where the dogs even
now are little more than partly domesticated
wolves, wolfish in habits, and looks. Such
is the Husky, the famous team dog of the

frozen north, without whose help the wealth

of the Klondyke and other remote places
could hardly have been brought to the out-
side world.
The collie, which is one of the most faith-
ful and lovable of the dog kind, is not so far
removed from a wolf, and it is very easy for
him to slip back to his wolf ancestry. There
are many instances on record where collies
have gone back to the wild and mated and
run with the gray pack. Put a collie pup
into a wolf den with a litter of wolf whelps
and the old wolf will suckle him as her
own. He will be brought up as a young
wolf will learn to hunt in the pack, and to
;

stalk his game like a veritable wolf. Of

course he will not be as fierce as his wolf
brother, and he will still retain certain dog
characteristics, but he will pass for a wolf
in most particulars, while in two or three
generations he will be a veritable wolf.
8 Introduction

When we consider all the varieties of dogs

ranging from the great Dane of nearly two
hundred pounds weight, to the smallest toy
dog coming from Japan, this statement that
all dogs are descended from wolves seems
almost incredible, but all this change has
been wrought by man himself. Breeding
and selection for certain qualities have been
the method by means of which he has at-
tained such varied results.
Climate, and the use to which the dog has
been put has also played its part. Nature
always adapts her creatures to their sur-
roundings, and the dog is no exception to this
rule. He has been molded like all of na-
ture's other creatures. Where he needed
long hair to shield him from the cold he has
been given a long, thick coat, and where he
could not bear a coat because of the heat it
has been left off.
Certain types of dogs there are that have
become famous all over the world, some for
their beauty and others for their usefulness,
but usually for both qualities.
Every child is familiar with the St. Ber-
nard dogs and their work in the Alpine
 Introduction 9

passes, saving lost travelers in the terrible

storms of those great heights. Perhaps the
most famous of all those great dogs was
Barry, whose record as a life saver covered a
long period of years, and who is credited
with saving forty lives.
This is a record that any man might well
be proud of, and one that few men have at-
tained.
Equally famous, and perhaps even more
useful as a helper of man are the Scotch
collies and the sheep and cattle dogs of
England and Scotland. In countries where
wolves are numerous these fine dogs are in-
dispensable, and in some sections it would be
impossible to guard the flock without them.
The training of a fine sheep dog has become
a science, and something that the shepherds
take a deal of pride in. In order to encour-
age the breeding of finely trained dogs, each
year in many parts of England and Scotland
contests of sheep herding dogs are held.
Then great crowds of people from far and
near gather and all the fine sheep dogs are
brought hither and put through their paces.
Finally when all have contested, the judges
10 Introduction

award the cup or other trophy to the shep-

herd whose dog has made the best showing.
Such an event is finely described in that
famous dog story, "Bob, Son of Battle."
The wolfhounds of Russia, which are
taught to run in packs and pull down their
wild kindred, and hold them until the men
come up are equally famous, if not so use-
ful. But wolves in Eussia are considered
vermin so these dogs do a good work in help-
ing to exterminate the pest.
The Czar of all the Russias was himself
interested in wolf coursing and is reported
to have owned the finest pack of wolf dogs
in the world.
The Alaskan dog teams are famous
throughout the world not only for the very
;

material service that they render man in

traveling over the frozen lands where not
even a burrow could travel, but also because
of the famous races that are held each year
in Alaska.
Then the fastest teams in the North are
brought together, a course of perhaps four
hundred miles is selected, and at a crack of
the pistol the teams are off to run the course,
 Introduction 11

in competition for a sweep stake of ten thou-

sand dollars.
Two men constitute the drivers. One
rides for a ways upon the back of the sled,
guiding it by what is called gee-pole, while
the other runs behind. When the man who
is running is tired he takes his turn upon the
sled, while the other man runs. By alternat-
ing in this way, and only one riding at a
time, fifty and sixty miles can be covered in
a single day, and in their races even more.
These Husky dogs with their thick coats
and tough constitutions are wonderfully
adapted to such strenuous work. They are
fed but once a day and then only a pound
of dry fish. After they have eaten this
slight meal, they will bury themselves in the
snow, putting their noses and their paws
into their shaggy tails forwarmth, and sleep
soundly with the thermometer at fifty and
sixty below zero.
Their masters in the meantime are sleep-
ing in their rabbit skin sleeping bags, which
weigh from six to twelve pounds.
Hard as the work is yet these faithful sled
dogs are eager for each day's work and are
12 Introduction

nearly heartbroken if they are unable to take

their places in the traces.
The teams driven by white men are driven
tandem, while Indian teams are fan shaped,
each dog being hitched to the sled by a sepa-
rate thong.
Of hunting dogs there are many varieties
which are always of the utmost importance
to frontier peoples, where they guard the
flocks and the premises from all kinds of
four-footed marauders. Upon the frontier
these dogs also assist in the chase and thus
furnish meat for the table and help rid the
country of vermin, such beasts as the wolf
that have to go before civilization is secure.
These hunting dogs also serve a less im-
portant use among the leisure class. Field
trials of pointers and setters have become
important events in the annals of dogs, while
the running of greyhounds and wolf-
hounds is a national sport in some countries.
But what shall we say of the house dog,
who is one of the family ? The sharer of all
our joys and sorrows: the one from whom
we have no secrets the social intimate whose
:

tail is a perfect barometer of sunshine and

 Introduction 13

storm in the family: the custodian of the

premises, who always sleeps with one eye
open, and one ear cocked for the sound of
prowlers : the friend of the children who fol-
lows them about like a shadow, watchful
lest any danger threaten them, often shar-
ing in their romps with all the zest of a boy.
This dumb creature worships you, to
him you are a sort of God— often a rather
sorry God, hardly worthy of his worship;
yet a God to him, one whom he can look up
to, can serve and love.
How empty the door mat would be without
him. How silent the premises without his
occasional cheerful bark.
Do cares oppress you and is the burden of
life heavy, are you cast down and unable
to see a sunbeam through the shadows'?
Look over in the corner. Your own anxious
mood is reflected upon the face of your dog.
He is the very picture of misery, uneasy and
longing to comfort you.
Presently he will come over to you unable
to stand it any longer and put his nose into
your hand, or fall to licking it frantically.
He is not forward or aggressive, but full of
14 Introduction

humility and abasement. He knows he is

only a dog, while you are a dog's God, but he
wants to comfort you, to take your load upon
his own shoulders and help you bear it.
Soon his paws are planted upon your
knees and he looks up into your face be-
seechingly. He wags his tail and tries to
smile, suggesting that you laugh it off.
Then he jumps down and runs about the
room to attract your attention by his funny
pranks, or perhaps he even barks once in
a deprecating way, but he is soon back again
licking your hand.
If you are perfectly impassive and silent,
he becomes almost frantic and will run about
the room whining, often returning to look up
into your face as though to pry out the trou-
ble. Then he is down again. His tail droops
and his face is a picture of despair.
Now he is whining softly to himself. If
you do not speak to him soon and reassure
him that the trouble is not past mending he
will lift up and howl, just as his
his voice
ancestors, the wolves, howled ages ago upon
the desolate plains.
The great Ibsen in "The Pretenders''
 Introduction 15

epitomizes this fidelity of the dog when he

causes King Skule to say: "I must have
some one by me who sinks his own will ut-
terly in mine, who believes in me unflinch-
ingly, who will cling close to me in good-hap
and ill, who lives only to shed warmth and
light over my life, and must die if I fall."
And Jatgeir replies, "Buy yourself a dog,
My Lord.^
Many other great men have understood
and appreciated this faithful creature.
Pope said, "Histories are more full of the
examples of the fidelity of dogs than of
friends." Josh Billings exclaims in his
humorous way, "A dog is the only thing on
earth that loves you more than he loves him-
self.' l Tennyson in a simple but truthful
couplet sings,
"Faithful and true will be found upon
four short legs,
Ten times for one upon two."
It was Eugene Field who said that a little
rough dog can awaken a joy that enters
eternity.
The small boy who ties a can to the dog's
tail and then laughs as the frantic creature
16 Introduction

runs yelping down the street, or perhaps

shies a stone at him, knows not that this
same despised canine may drag him from a
watery grave, or from a burning building
on the morrow. A hundred to one the dog
would remember neither the tin can nor the
stone, if he saw the boy in peril.
Forgiveness is the dog's long suit. So if
to err is human and to forgive is divine, then
the dog must have a spark of that great love
in his brute heart that knows how to forgive.
Even more culpable than the boy with his
thoughtless cruelty is the man with his de-
liberate cruelty, the brute who makes this
faithful creature the butt for his ill will.
There is a deal of truth in the statement of
Eoland Hill that every man's dog or his
horse knows whether he be a Christian or
not.
Where in the annals of mere humans, is
there a story as touching in its absolute fi-
delity as that of "Gray Friar's Bobby?"
Lest this wonderful true story may not be
familiar to you I give it here very briefly,
the account being taken from our Four
Footed Friends:
 Introduction 17

During the fifties there lived in Midlo-

thian a farmer named Grey. This man, like
others of his calling, was generally to be
found in Edinburgh every Wednesday, at-
tending the market, accompanied always by
his shaggy terrier, Bobby. It was Grey's
custom, as the time-gun announced the hour
of one from the Castle heights, to repair to
a small restaurant in the neighborhood of
Grey friars' Churchyard, known by the name
of Traill's Dining Rooms. Here Bobby and
his master had their midday meal, which in
the case of the doggie consisted regularly of
a bun.
In 1858 Grey died, and was laid to rest
near the historic church of Greyfriars, aptly
named by Sir Walter Scott "the Westmin-
ster of Scotland.
" On the third day follow-
j

ing the funeral, and just as the echoes of the

time-gun were dying away, the occupants
of Traill's rooms were surprised to see a dog,
the picture of woe and hunger, enter the
doorway and approach the proprietor, upon
whom he gazed with a most beseeching ex-
pression.
Traill immediately recognized in this visi-
18 Introduction

tor the once happy and well-cared-for

Bobby. Stirred with compassion, he gave
a bun to the silent pleader, who then, with-
out waiting to eat it, ran out of the shop car-
rying his newly- found meal in his mouth.
Next day at the same hour Bobby again ap-
peared, and repetition of events followed;
but on the third day, Traill, whose curiosity
and interest were now thoroughly aroused,
determined to follow the dog, and thus dis-
cover his destination. This was soon
reached, for Bobby, bun in mouth, made
straight for Grey friars' Churchyard where,
approaching the grave of his master, he lay
down and began to eat his scanty meal. It
was now evident that the chief, if not the
only mourner of the kindhearted farmer,
had been his four-footed friend Bobby, who,
after following his late master's funeral pro-
cession, had then refused to leave the humble
mound which marked his grave, until forced
to do so by the pangs of hunger. Bobby's
plight and the locality of his new domicile
having come to the knowledge of the occu-
pants of his former home, he was brought
back, it is said, three times. However, all
 Introduction 19

efforts to make him relinquish his chosen

post proved unavailing and each attempt
was followed by a speedy return to the same
spot in Greyfriars. Here Bobby continued
to spend both days and nights, taking refuge
only in rough weather under a tombstone
hard by, and stoutly resisting all friendly
advances made by the compassionate stran-
gers desirous of providing a home for him.
In course of time a shelter was erected for
his protection near his master's grave. He
continued his daily visits to the restaurant,
arriving punctually at the same hour, and
never failing to receive his bun from the
kind-hearted proprietor. This went on for
nine years when, owing to a more rigorous
enforcement of the seven shillings yearly
dog license, Bobby was arrested as a " va-
grant," and appeared in court accompanied
by his humane sympathizer and defender,
the restaurant keeper, who was accused of
harboring the dog. They were tried before
three magistrates who, after hearing the
story, tempered the law with mercy and for-
gave him for not paying his rates, thus sav-
ing Bobby from an untimely end.
20 Introduction

This remarkable dog, who, by an irony of

fate, had great length of days granted to
him, lived until 1872, and then, like his mas-
ter, was buried in Greyfriars' Churchyard,
where his grave, now marked by a rose bush,
is often pointed out to visitors. A short
time before Bobby's death the Baroness
Burdett-Coutts visited Greyfriars, and the
sight of the Highland mourner so interested
her, that when his demise occurred, she ob-
tained permission to erect at the street cor-
ner, near the churchyard gate, a granite
fountain with an effigy of the inconsolable
dog sitting on guard.
How can I better close this unworthy
monograph upon man's faithful friend, than
by quoting Senator Vest's immortal tribute
to the dog delivered before a Missouri jury.
He certainly epitomizes the subject as no
one else has.
Gentlemen of the Jury The best friend
' '
:

a man has in this world may turn against

him and become his enemy. His son and
daughter that he has reared with loving care
may become ungrateful. Those who are
nearest and dearest to us, those whom we
 Introduction 21

trust with our happiness and our good name,

may become traitors to their faith. The
money that a man has he may lose. It flies

away from him when he may need it most.

Man's reputation may be sacrificed in a
moment of ill considered action. The peo-
ple who are prone to fall on their knees
and do us honor when success is with us may
be the first to throw the stone of malice when
failure settles its cloud upon our heads.
The one absolutely unselfish friend a man
may have in this selfish world, the one that
never deserts him, the one that never proves
ungrateful or treacherous, is the dog.
" Gentlemen of the Jury: A
man's dog
stands by him in prosperity and poverty, in
health and in sickness. He will sleep on the
cold ground, when the wintry winds blow
and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may
be near his master's side. He will kiss the
hand that has no food to offer, he will lick
the wounds and sores that come in encounter
with the roughness of the world. He guards
the sleep of his pauper master as if he were
a prince.
"When all other friends desert, he re-
22 Introduction

mains. When riches take wings and repu-

tation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his
love as the sun in its journey through the
heavens. If fortune drives the master forth
an outcast into the world, friendless and
homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher
privilege than that of accompanying him, to
guard him against danger, to fight against
his enemies, and when the last scene of all
comes and death takes his master in its em-
brace and his body is laid away in the cold
ground, no matter if all other friends pursue
their way, there by his graveside will the
noble dog be found, his head between his
paws and his eyes sad, but open in alert
watchfulness, faithful and true even to
death**'
 PEP
CThe Story* of a.
 CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I A Blue Ribbon Dog 25

II The Runaway 38

III The Crossing w > 56

IV The Hospital ..... ... w 73

V The Battlefield . . . ... 90
VI The Rescue . 105

VII Homeward Bound ...... 116

 PEP: THE STORY OF
A BRAVE DOG
CHAPTER I

A BLUE RIBBON DOG

PEP sat up very straight at his end of the

car seat and looked hard out of the win-
dow. This was his usual amusement when
he and his master were traveling. But he
did not travel often, as his master was a very
busy man, so he appreciated every trip that
they made.
His full name was Pepsin. His master
was a doctor so that accounted for the name.
With the boys, however, who all loved him,
the name stood for pep or grit.
Pep was an English bull terrier, sleek and
clean cut. His white coat shone like satin
and it was as soft as velvet. Well it might
have shone, for the doctor's man had been
25
26 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
washing and brushing the dog for weeks.
Pep knew that the trip was momentous,
but just where they were going, or what was
up he could not have told.
His master was usually calm and collected,
but this morning, he was excited. The dog
could feel it plainly. In fact he felt all the
changes of temperament in his beloved mas-
ter. If he was sad or glad the dog changed
his own feelings to keep pace with his god.
Pep was not as democratic as most ter-
riers. He was quite particular about his
friendships. There was but one person in
the whole world whom he devotedly loved
and that was the doctor. You could see this
by the way he looked sideways at his master
when he tired of the landscape. Also by
the manner in which he met the advances of
strangers on the train.
Their destination was the New York
Bench Show where Pep was to be entered.
This was the momentous errand on which
they were bent.
Pep was the usual type of bull terrier,
about sixteen inches at the shoulders and
weighing nearly forty pounds.
 A Blue Ribbon Dog 27

His ears were cocked and pointed. Their

backs had been shaved that very morning,
and the pink blood coursed through them
freely.
The doctor was reading a newspaper and
occasionally the dog would give it a poke
with his nose, to intimate that the man ought
to stop and talk to him.
The doctor and his wife had no children
and they always referred to Pep as "the
boy.'-?
Arrived at the New York Central, Pep
and his master took a taxi for Madison
Square. Once they were fairly within this
great arena, Pep thought it the most exciting
place he had ever even dreamed of.
Such a host of dogs he had not thought
the world contained. There were large dogs
and small dogs, short-haired dogs and long-
haired dogs, excited dogs and complacent
dogs, but most all were excited. A dog had
to have a pretty good opinion of himself to
keep his head in such a place as this. Such
a chorus of yelping and barking, growling
and whining greeted them as they walked
down the main street that Pep did not know
28 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

whether to be joyous or angry. For the life

of him he could not tell whether it was only
just play, or the preliminary to a great fight.
If the men did really loose all these dogs
and they should fly at one another's throats,
he made up his mind that he would get a
good hold on the throat of a bulldog who had
growled at him as he passed, and not let go
until the cross fellow had apologized.
Presently they stopped before a man in a
small booth, who asked a lot of tiresome
questions about Pep. He wanted his age,
weight, breeding and many more facts,
which the master patiently gave him.
Finally Pep was given a number, 223, and
they passed along.
They passed by St. Bernard street, New-
foundland street, Collie street and finally
down to the smaller dogs, until they came to
the terriers, where they located permanently
in Bull Terrier street. There were about
forty dogs here, tied in a double row, with
a broad walk between the rows. Here the
master tied Pep in his own stall and told him
to be a good dog, and went to look for some
friends.
 A Blue Ribbon Dog 29

For the first five minutes the dogs in Bull

Terrier street were very disrespectful, to
Pep and called him all the bad names in the
dog dictionary, but seeing how goodnatured
he was, they soon ceased their jollying and
asked him where he came from, what his
master's name was, and what his name was.
Presently he was on speaking terms with the
dogs on either side of him.
"It is a very fast class, Pep old boy,"
said a sleek terrier across the street. "If
the judge so much as looks at you you will
be lucky."
"My master says I am a sure winner, but
I am not saying anything about it."
"You've told each newcomer for the past
two hours," growled a savage looking bull
terrier next to him. "If I could only slip
my collar, I would fix you so that the judge
would kick you out of the ring. You have
got too many airs, my fine fellow." At this
harsh threat the dandy slunk back in his cor-
ner and finally lay down and pretended he
was asleep, but Pep knew he was just sham-
ming.
It seemed an eternity before his master
30 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
reappeared, but he was not really gone more
than an hour. When he came back he had
another doctor with him, whom Pep knew
well. He was the master of Pep's friend,
Larry, a clever Irish terrier, who had also
come to the show.
Presently there was great commotion in
Bull Terrier street. Men came from every
direction and unchained their dogs. Some
put them on fancy show leashes, and they
were led away to the show ring.
Here there was another inquisitive man,
who entered their names and numbers. Fi-
nally the ring was nearly full of bull terriers,
all excited and straining at their leashes.
Each master was trying to make his dog hold
up his head and look his prettiest.
Pep's master had been giving him lessons
to stand for inspection on the leash so he
stood like a drum major, with head up and
his tail carried properly. The judge spotted
him almost as soon as he came into the ring.
He stopped short in his tracks at the sight
of Pep and stood very still. The other dogs
were straining at their leashes, but the judge
did not see them. His eyes were all for Pep.
 A Blue Ribbon Dog 31

Finally he lifted his eyes to the doctor's face

and winked at him knowingly. The doctor
looked down quickly, but he gave Pep a con-
fidential shove with his leg.
Pep did not just understand this, but
thought it a good omen.
After that, the judge did not even glance
at him, but went methodically about his
work. One by one the dogs were led from
the ring. Each one took his cue from the
dejected manner of his master, so all went
with tails drooping. Finally, there were
only two left besides Pep. Then the judge
stood these two dogs upon a little platform
at the center of the ring and examined them
carefully. Occasionally he would stop and
glance across at Pep.
Pep saw that his master was watching the
judge intently so he did the same. When
the judge looked his way he wagged his tail,
for he felt sure that this was a man to be
cultivated.
Finally the judge got up with a deep sigh.
"Take them both away," he said shortly.
"They are good dogs, but they are not in the
class with this one,'' and he came over and
32 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
stroked Pep's head. " Here's his blue rib-
bon. Take him up to the free for all. It
may not do any good, but I want to see him
lined up against the old champion, Lord
Lansdale. Somehow I can't keep my eyes
off him, but I presume he will look small
enough beside the champion.' 9

The doctor stooped down and hugged Pep

and he was very happy. He felt sure that
the man had liked him and that pleased his
master. He loved to please his master above
all else.
So they went back to Bull Terrier street,
Pep with and his master
his blue ribbon
looking very happy. There they received
the congratulations of the surly dog who
had threatened to chew the dandy's throat if
he could get at him, while the dandy sulked
in his corner.
"I liked you the minute I saw you,"
first
said the surly terrier, mellowing up and
fairly smiling. "You don't put on airs. I
can't stand airs in a dog. That is, unless he
is a champion.''
"Wait he goes up to meet the cham-
till

pion," whimpered the dandy. "He'll come

 A Blue Ribbon Dog 33

back with his tail between his legs, or I am

a liar."
"You are a liar all right," growled Pep's
new friend, "but he won't come back with
his tail between his legs. If he 's licked he '11
take it like a thoroughbred. If the other
dog's better than you are, admit it and don't
sulk as you are doing."
Here the conversation was interrupted by
a call for the winners in each class to go up
to the ring for the finals, so Pep went with
his master and both were much excited.
The judge did not so much as look at him
when he entered the ring and poor Pep
thought it was all up. He felt sorry for his
master, who, he at once saw, felt the slight.
"Keep your head up, old chap,"- whis-
pered the master, and Pep looked as haughty
as he could, copying the manner of the old
champion who stood at the center of the
platform, his eyes half shut, gazing off into
space, just as though the whole show bored
him to death and he would be glad when it
was over.
One by one the winners were placed on the
platform by the champion but it needed only
34 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

a glance at most of them and the judge said,

"Take 'em away." Then master and dog
would slink out of the ring. The last dog
who went on before Pep lasted much longer
than his predecessors had. The judge
looked him over for several minutes and
even held his head beside the champion's be-
fore pronouncing his doom.
Then he turned about quickly. "Where's
the doctor's dog?" he said. "He is the only
dog in the show that can give the old cham-
pion anything like a go. Bring him on."'
Pep mounted to the platform much ex-
cited, although he tried hard not to show it.
The champion looked at him sleepily out of
the corner of his eye. Pep thought his man-
ner said, "So here's another. Well, they
will soon take him away."
The judge stepped back several feet and
looked at them very hard, without saying a
word. Then he scratched his head and said,
"Well, I'll be darned. I never expected to
be up against it like this."
Then he went up and began feeling the two
dogs over very carefully. He passed his
" The judge examined them carefully.
 A Blue Ribbon Dog 35

hand along their backs, and legs. He let

their ears slip gently through his fingers.
He lifted up their paws. Then put them
down.
Pep watched him from the corner of one
eye. He
could see that the judge was more
and more worried.
Then he stood off and looked at them
again. He scratched his head and pulled his
mustache, then came back and went all over
the handling process once more.
Finally he held a muzzle in either palm
and laid their heads side by side. His hand
trembled and Pep felt that he was much ex-
cited.
At last he stood up and heaved a deep sigh.
"I am very sorry,'' he said, and stooped
down and stroked the old champion's head.
Poor Pep's heart stood still. He felt as
though the judge had struck him. He
wanted to yelp with pain. He knew it
would disappoint his master so, but the
judge's next words fairly stunned him.
"Take away the old champion," he said.
"He is outclassed. This," and he laid his
36 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

hand caressingly on Pep's head, "is the bet-

ter dog. I never dreamed that I would live
to see Lord Lansdale dethroned.'
Then a great shouting went up around the
ring.
"Hurrah for Pepsin. Congratulations,
doctor. Let me stroke him. Let me get in-
side and feel him over. Bring him out, doc-
tor, we want to take some photos of him for
the press. v
Pepsin was so astonished at all this fuss
that at first he thought he had done some-
thing bad and was to be punished, but when
his master caught him up in his arms and
hugged him joyously his happiness was
complete.
Prom thattime on, as long as they stayed
at the show, he was a much petted and flat-
tered dog.
If he had been a silly, vain dog, it would
have turned his head, but he was a sensible
fellow and he took it as a matter of course.
The following day, when Pep and the doc-
tor were having a fine time, walking about
the great hall, along the main street, looking
at the dogs, a boy in uniform with a blue cap
 A Blue Ribbon Dog 37

came up to his master and gave him an

envelope.
Pep saton his haunches and watched the
doctor very closely while he looked at the
piece of paper. Somehow he did not like
these messengers with their pieces of paper.
They always upset things. This one seemed
to be even more disturbing than usual, for
the doctor put the telegram hurriedly into
his pocket and they started out of the build-
ing not stopping to speak to any one.
"It's my call, Pep," he said as they took
a taxi for the Grand Central. "I'm off for
the war, old chap. ,J
 CHAPTER II

THE RUNAWAY

PEP's master was very quiet all the way

home and the wise dog knew intuitively
that he was disturbed about something. He
tried several times by rubbing against him,
to gethim to notice his "blue ribbon dog/'
but after several futile attempts he settled
down at his end of the seat and went to sleep
with his muzzle on his master's knee. He
had often seen the doctor like this, when
studying on some perplexing case, so he
wisely left him to his thoughts.
Occasionally he would wake up and look
athim out of the corner of one eye, when he
would find him studying the disturbing let-
ter that the messenger boy had given him.
It was not until they were almost home that
the doctor aroused himself and took the dog
into his confidence.
 The Runaway 39

"Pep, old boy," he said, stroking his sleek

sides, rubbing his nose, and pulling his ears
gently in a way he loved, "we have got a
hard task ahead of us. I don't know what
the mistress will say. We
have expected it
for weeks, but it will be a shock just the
same.'-3
The motor was waiting for them at the
station as the doctor had telegraphed ahead
and they were soon whizzing through the
darkness towards Pep's kennel, which he
considered the best spot on earth.
"How did the mistress take it, Thomp-
son?" asked the physician as they bowled
along. "I did not say what was up, but I
imagined she would guess. You know I had
intended to stay the rest of the week."
"She knew right off. She is bearing up
well, sir, but it is a great blow to us all.
She's a brave little woman, doctor, and won't
show the white feather."
The little woman referred to met them at
the door. She had a warm embrace for the
doctor, and a pat on the head for Pep, but
she did not even notice the blue: ribbon,
which showed how disturbed they were.
40 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

"It's come at last, Betty," said the doctor

briefly as he removed his overcoat. He
handed her the hateful telegram and stood
watching as she read it.
Pep watched both his mistress and master
narrowly and his dog heart was troubled.
For he noticed that his mistress shivered
as she took the telegram. The little cry
that escaped her as she read it, made him
whimper and go to her, standing on his hind
legs and putting his paws on her knees.
She reached down and stroked his glossy
head and a tear fell on his upturned
muzzle.
" I wouldn't have you miss it for the world,
John," she finally managed to say. "It's a
man's part and you are every inch a man,
but it has come so suddenly."
"You are a brave woman, Betty,-' the doc-
tor returned chokingly. "I thank you for
making it It is just as hard
so easy for me.
for me to go as for
it isyou to have me.
There is little danger to a surgeon. I will
come back all right.
"Look at Pep, Betty. He wants you to
see his blue ribbon. He is a blue ribbon dog
 The Runaway 41

now. He'll take care of you while I am

gone. Won't you, old sport?"
The mistress admired the trophy as much
as Pep could have wished, but somehow it
did not satisfy him. He knew instinctively
the housewas filled with tragedy and what
was a blue ribbon more or less when such
things were happening.
For the next two hours every one hurried
frantically to and fro; such confusion Pep
had never seen in the well-ordered house.
The mistress would suffer no hands but her
own pack the doctor's suit case.
to finally
Others might hand things to her, but her
hands must tuck them away for him.
Pep followed disconsolately from room
to room, keeping out of the way as well as he
could. He finally took up his position by
the front door and waited. This was the
door through which his master always left
when he went on important missions. He
determined not to be left behind. If it made
his mistress feel so badly to have master go
away he would go with him, then she would
know he would be safe. Of course all this
packing meant his master was going away.
42 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

He had seen it many times before, but why

they hurried so, and why every one's heart
ached, he could not imagine.
At last, everything was ready and Thomp-
son and the motor were at the door. The
doctor came into the office. Pep saw that
his face was very white. The mistress came
in also and stood close to him. Her face also
was white and she was trembling. Neither
spoke for several seconds. Then the doctor
took her in his arms and held her tight for
at least a minute. Then still without speak-
ing, he set her gently down in the large easy
chair and with a sudden motion, slipped out
of the front door with his suit case.
He went so suddenly that the cry of the
mistress and the bang of the door sounded
almost together.
The closing door missed Pep's muzzle by
barely an inch. He leaped at it and whined
frantically and whimpered as the motor
rolled away. Then like the faithful com-
panion and sympathetic friend that he was,
leaped into his mistress' lap and tried in
his dog way to comfort her.
She hugged him to her heart and poured
 The Runaway 43

out her grief in his sympathetic ears. Of

course he did not know just what made her
feel so badly, but he snuffled in unison with
her and told her as plainly as a dog could
that he felt just as badly as she did and that
they were fellow sufferers.
Finally, the mistress dried her eyes and
went to straighten out the house. Pep lay
down upon his favorite rug to think. He
did not intend to submit tamely to being left
behind in this unceremonious manner.
He thought to such good advantage that
when Thompson came back with the motor,
he had fully made up his mind. When the
chauffeur at last came in after putting up
the car, Pep was waiting for him at the front
door.
He had his muzzle close to the crack so as
to be ready. Thompson had barely opened
the door and squeezed partly through, for he
had been warned to look out for Pep, when
the terrier shot between his legs and with a
scurry of feet along the walk, he was gone
into the darkness. A second later, he was
out on the street running frantically for the
depot. [Thompson and the mistress whistled
44 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
and shouted but he paid no attention to
them, and they saw him disappear twenty
rods away around a corner, running like the
wind.
"He's gone after the doctor. The little
cuss has gone to war," cried Thompson.
"What shall we do? The doctor told me
half a dozen times to-night to keep an eye
,'
on him.'
"Take the motor and follow to the station.
He can't go further than that." So for the
second time that night, the doctor's machine
whizzed away to the depot.
Thompson had to put some gasoline in the
car before he could follow, so Pep reached
the depot five minutes ahead of the machine.
Instead of finding the train puffing away on
the tracks as hehad expected, the rails were
clear. His master had gone. He was too
late. He sniffed frantically up and down
the platform to find the scent but there was
none that he could recognize. Then he re-
membered the track. The two shining sticks
that the train always ran upon.
He knew which way his master had gone,
the one way to New York. He looked up at
 The Runaway 4±5

the station platform and away into the dark-

ness. Then Thompson and the motor
whizzed up That decided him. He turned
:

his nose towards New York and galloped

frantically down the track.
Meanwhile the doctor sat in the smoking
car chewing savagely on the end of his cigar,
and looking gloomily out of the window.
His home and his wife had hitherto been all
and all to him.
Now his country had called him. He
found to his surprise that there had been all
the time a deep sense of love of country
lying dormant in his nature. A
newsboy on
the train was selling small silk flags. The
doctor purchased one and placed it in his
buttonhole. His fingers now fondled it
lovingly as he mused.
All that he loved here in the homeland was
dropping further and further behind. This
new strange passion for country was taking
him far from home, wife, and friends, to
what hardships and struggles he knew not.
It did not matter though as long as he came
through safe and sound.
At this point in his reflections, a shiver
46 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

ran through the train. At first it was only a

tremor, but immediately it grew into a crash-
ing, grating, grinding sound. The train
buckled in the middle, raising three cars
fairly from the track. Others swayed this
way and that.
There was the sound of breaking car
floors, of shattered glass, and grinding car-
frames. Together with the more frightful
sound of the ripping of rails and the break-
ing of ties, but shot through all these mighty
sounds of destruction, was the frantic
screams of women, and the hoarse cries of
men, who fought and struggled as they felt
themselves hurled to doom.
It was only a broken axle that had caused
all this destruction of life and property. So
the superintendent's report said a few days
later.
The car in which the doctor was riding
fared better than many of the others and
merely toppled on its side after being butted
off the track.
The physician was thrown across the aisle,
but not injured. Almost before the rest of
the passengers knew what had happened
 The Runaway 47

he was on his feet and breaking his way out

through a window. Five minutes later, he
was going from point to point attending the
injured, organizing relief and giving what
aid he could with the limited means at hand.
Meanwhile, Pep was galloping frantically-
after the express train. He had not
dreamed it was such a long way to New
York. It had always seemed like a very
short ride to him while sitting on a car seat
looking out of the window. Surely the great
snorting thing which drew the train had long
legs and ran very fast.
For an hour the terrier galloped at his
best pace, but the straight and level way
stretched on just as straight and unending
as it had been when he started. By this
time he was getting tired, so he slowed down
and began to wonder if he should ever reach
the great city where he had been so recently
to the dog show. Perhaps he had not done
right to come. He knew well that Thompson
and his mistress had called him. He had
heard them plainly. Perhaps his master
would not even be glad to see him. Maybe
he would rather he had remained at home
48 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

to guard the place while he was gone. His

thoughts were not probably quite as definite
as this, but he began to have misgivings
about running away.
Now a bright light loomed up in the dis-
tance. It was the train. No, it could not
be. It was coming towards him. On it
came like a terrible demon, rushing straight
at him. He bolted down embankment
the
to safety just as the train It was
swept by.
on one of the other tracks and would not
have harmed him, but it was just as well
not to take any chances. He had seen a
careless dog cut in two once at his home town
station.
Again Pep took to the rails and galloped
on for another fifteen minutes. Then his
patience was rewarded for he saw a light
ahead. Not one but several. There were
men running hurriedly about. The train
had stopped.
It must be the doctor's train for it was on
the right track. He would find his beloved
master soon.
Almost the first person that Pep saw as
he galloped up to the wreck was the doctor.
 The Runaway 49

He was kneeling beside a man lying on the

ground. The man was groaning and the
physician was doing something for him.
Pep was a doctor's dog and quite well versed
in the ways of doctors. He had often sat on
his favorite rug in the office during a serious
consultation. He
did not notice that his
master was trying to replace a dislocated
shoulder, or he never would have jumped
and pulled his coat tail as he did. To the
doctor at this critical time, all dogs were
alike. So without even looking around, he
kicked at the intruder who was disturbing
his work.
The kick though slight, caught Pep under
the jaw and made him yelp, but it hurt his
feelings mightily. Here he had nearly run
his legs off to catch up with the train and
his master did not even look around when he
barked. Also an unheard of thing had hap-
pened, he had kicked him. So he retired to
the edge of the circle of, light that sur-
rounded the wreck and sat on his haunches
watching the doctor work.
Presently the shoulder snapped back into
place and the surgeon passed on to other un-
50 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

f ortunates. Pep followed at a distance, al-

ways keeping on the rim of light at the edge
of the darkness. For half an hour he
dodged about, keeping himself half in the
shadow watching, then a wrecking train
came up and a score of doctors and nurses
descended.
At about the same time, the forward part
of the wrecked train, which had not left the
rails, was made ready for completing the
run to New York.
The conductor went up and down calling
for every one to get aboard. With genuine
alarm, Pep saw his master climb into the
car nearest the engine, but he did not dare
to follow him. He was probably very angry
and would not like to see him at all.
He saw the conductor wave his arm at the
(engineer who was leaning out of the cab win-
dow, then the locomotive began to puff and
the train to move.
While two cars went past him Pep stood
uncertain, then with a scramble and a glad
bark he sprang upon the rear platform of
the third and last car. He went with such
a rush that he nearly slid off on the other
 The Runaway 51

side, but he finally gained his footing, and

crouched down beside the door.
Presently the train got up speed. The
car swayed from side to side and he slipped
and slid on the smooth floor. The train also
made a great noise, which terrified him.
He was lonesome also, as there was no
one to notice him out there alone in the dark.
There certainly was a difference between
traveling in a warm coach with one's master,
and slipping and sliding about on the rear
platform, stealing a ride like an ordinary
tramp.
After about half an hour, which seemed
much longer to Pep, the train entered the
long, dark underground passage which he
had always noticed just before they reached
the great city. They were almost there.
When the train at last stopped, Pep slid
down from his platform and ran along
towards the engine, but his master was too
quick for him. When he reached the car
where he had seen him enter, he was walking
rapidly down the platform, almost running
in fact. A taxi driver was carrying his mas-
ter 's suit case and they seemed much excited.
52 Pep: The Story of a Brave Hog

The official at the gate saw they were in a

great hurry so did not detain them and Pep
slipped through between his legs, while he
was looking at the ticket of a passenger
who was just entering.
Pep had all he could do to keep his mas-
ter's legs in sight and not confuse them
with some other man's legs. To him the
place was all legs legs and skirts hurrying
;

this way and that. Electric gongs were

ringing, men and women were calling to one
another, the megaphone man was shouting
out the trains, and engines were thundering
in the train sheds.
"We've got just forty minutes to make the
boat," said Pep's master as he scrambled
into the taxi and the driver hurled the suit
case in after him.
"Can you make it?"
The man's reply was lost by the slamming
of the door, but he sprang into the driver's
seat and the motor started.
Pep had not been allowed to follow the
doctor's car at home, but this was different.
His master had gone off and left him. He
 The Runaway 53

had not dared even make himself known.

For a second he hesitated, then fell in behind
the motor and began a wild race for the
wharf.
Such a bedlam he had not even dreamed of
as that which filled his ears, once they were
fairly outon Broadway. Machines whizzed
by at every rod.He kept close to the taxi
so as not be run down by some passing ma-
chine. Several times the taxi almost
stopped and once the doctor shouted to the
driver that they must hurry. Out and in
they twisted, breaking many traffic rules, but
always making sure and steady progress
towards the wharf. At last they whizzed
down into the great noisy thoroughfare
leading to the waterway. Finally, the
machine stopped. The driver snatched the
suitcase and the doctor fairly ran after him
as they hurried towards a strong gate that
was constantly opening and closing with a
loud bang.
Even before they reached it, Pep made up
his mind that if his master got through with-
out seeing him, he would lose him. So as
54 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

the gate opened, he sprang upon the physi-

cian with a glad bark. The doctor turned
and looked down at him.
Then Pep leaped full in his arms and
planted a dog kiss on his cheek.
"For Heaven's sake, Pep," exclaimed the
astonished physician. "Is that you?
Where in the world did you drop from? I
must find some one to take you back home."
"You'll have to hurry, mister," shouted
the taxi driver.
"What can I do with this dog?" cried the
perplexed physician. "I don't know how
he ever got here, but I can't leave him
alone."'
"You are going to miss the boat. You
can't wait another minute."
"Take him along. You can
ship him
back on the boat, or find some one to take
care of him on the other side."
Pep stood on his hind legs looking up into
his master's face. The doctor was dazed
and uncertain. The taxi man shouted again.
"I tell you the boat will sail in just one
minute. Take him along, or miss the boat. l
"All right, old pal. It's us for Europe.*'
 The Runaway 55

With these words, the doctor stooped down

and gathered Pep up in his arms partially
covering him with his overcoat to shield him
from fussy officials, and followed the ex-
cited taxi driver into the elevator. Up they
shot, and then along the gangplanks to the
great floating palace which was to be Pep's
home for the next ten days.
About ten seconds later the tug began
straining at the hawser working the great
boat out of her slip. The adventure had
fairly begun. Dog and master were upon
their way across the Atlantic to take part in
the great struggle.
 CHAPTER III

THE CROSSING

NOTICING that several of the ship's

officers whom they passed eyed Pep
askance, the doctor singled out the most
affable looking one and went straight to the
point.
"What about dogs? 9 * he asked. "My
dog followed me to the very gangplank and
I had to bring him along or miss the boat.
He is a very valuable dog. I wouldn't have
anything happen to him for the world. He
is a blue ribbon dog."
The officer looked at the dog doubtfully.
"If you really value him," he said, "you
had better not let the first mate see him. He
is death on dogs. Why, the last trip across
he had four thrown overboard. They were
pets of wounded soldiers, too. It made the
56
 The Crossing 57

crew as mad as March hares. There wasn't

any sense in it, either."
At this the doctor looked troubled, but he
was a diplomat and a man of quick action.
He knew there was many a way of circum-
venting unjust regulations like this.
"Here is a five-dollar bill," he said, slip-
ping the greenback into the hand of the of-
ficer. "You introduce me to the official
who is the most of a dog lover. ,J
"That's the old man," said the official
doubtfully. "I wouldn't dare to approach
him, but you might appeal to him if the
worst came. He is the captain of the ship,
but we call him the old man. The head
steward keeps a little dog in his cabin.
Perhaps he might accommodate you."
So they went to the chief steward's cabin,
where they found that necessary official
swearing at his associates.
"Another dog," he snorted, when the
proposition had been put up to him. '
Well,
'

I guess not. Ginger worries me nearly to

death."
"He is a blue ribbon dog," explained the
doctor. "They would keep each other com-
58 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

pany. Take a look at him.' 2 He held Pep

up for inspection.
The steward gave Pep a hurried glance,
then came nearer to get a better view. He
stroked his sleek head and tweaked his ears
fondly.
1
The very picture of my old Sally. Why
'

I sailed fifteen years with that dog. She

was better company than half the folks.
Why, yes, I can make a place for him.
Here, Ginger, come here and take a sniff at
your shipmate.'
The doctor set Pep down on the floor and
the small black and tan dog approached
gingerly as suited his name, but Pep gave
him just one disdainful glance then looked
the other way.
" They '11 be all right when they get ac-
quainted," said the doctor. "You see Pep
is rather exclusive."
Finally the dogs touched noses and were
friends. Pep was given an old souwester
upon and the steward promised to keep
to lie
an eye on him while the doctor went to look
for his cabin.
Although the doctor visited Pep twice
 The Crossing 59

that evening and he seemed snug and com-

fortable, yet he could not forget the horrible
picture of the mate's having the pets of
first
the wounded soldiers thrown overboard, so
he determined to have it out with the old
man as they called him the very next day.
All that night the great ship plowed her
way through the darkness. Her lights were
all out, but half a mile to the north and half
a mile to the south a long rakish torpedo
boat ran parallel with her. These were her
escort. No one knew at what moment a sub-
marine might appear, so every precaution
was taken against those devils of the deep.
The following morning was bright and
beautiful, with a stiff wind blowing at the
ship's bow. Every one was in the best of
spirits and danger was forgotten.
all
In the middle of the forenoon the doctor
discovered the ship's captain standing near
the wheel. He had been talking with the
man at the wheel, but he was not busy then.
The moment seemed auspicious and the doc-
tor approached him without delay.
"Sir," he said, saluting. "I understand
you like dogs." J
60 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

The captain was a man of sixty, but he

looked much older. His face was wrinkled
and weatherbeaten, but a smile shone
through his weatherstained visage.
"Who told you that?" he asked. "It
wasn't the first mate."
"No, sir," returned the doctor. "It
wasn't the first mate, but you do like dogs."
"Rather," said the captain, looking off
across the broad expanse of blue rolling sea.
"Would you like to see the champion of
the recent New York dog show? He is a
gentleman. An English bull terrier."
"There isn't any such animal aboard," re-
turned the captain.
"Yes, there is," replied the doctor. "If
you have a few minutes, come with me and
I will show him to you."
The captain followed, incredulous and ex-
cited. If there really was a blue ribbon
English bull terrier aboard, he wanted to
know it. It would never do to risk such a
prize with his present mate, the dog hater.
They found Pep waiting for them and
straining at his leash. The doctor picked
him up that the captain might better admire
 The Crossing 61

him. For several seconds he looked him

over in silence, then put out his hand and
stroked his sleek head.
u He's a blue ribbon dog sure enough,'
he said at last. "I'll speak to the mate
about him. We don't want him swimming
for his life in the Atlantic. That mate is a
strange man. There is something wrong
about him, but he is a good officer. Pep is
to be a regular passenger with all the priv-
ileges of the ship, sir."
Pep became a prime favorite with sev-
eral of the passengers, once he was permitted
to come out of hiding. Although the first
mate glowered at him and muttered omi-
nously, he did not dare lay hands on him
since the old man had said he was a regular
passenger, with all the privileges of the ship.
One little girl in particular, Hilda Con-
verse, thedaughter of an importer who was
going across in the interests of his firm,
fairly worshiped Pep. Hilda had just lost
her mother and that was why her father
was taking her with him under such danger-
ous circumstances.
Hilda and Pep were inseparable, once she
62 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

had found her way to his warm dog heart.

The morning of the fifth day out dawned
dark and stormy. The wind had kicked up
a great sea and the mighty swells rolled
mountain high.
Finally the wind increased to the dimen-
sions of a hurricane, and all but the most
hardy sought their cabins. The doctor,
however, liked to stay out in the open where
he could watch the storm. The winds fairly
shrieked in the rigging and about the tall
smokestacks. The sea hissed and seethed,
and the winds whipped it and beat upon it,
until the air was filled with flying spray.
Finally such a yeast was kicked up that one
could gather hands full of the feathery foam
from the air. Sky and water seemed to
meet, and the mighty ship and its human
freight were at the very heart of this terrible
storm. So far as they could see or feel this
was all there was to the world— a world of
wind and foam, all turbulence and frightful-
ness. One of the ship's boats was broken
loose by a mighty sea and swept away. It
rose upon the top of a great swell, then sank
into the trough and was seen no more.
 The Crossing 63

The doctor watched the ship's crew nar-

rowly as they worked. They worked like
soldiers, each doing his part with dispatch
and decision. The captain stood on the
bridge, the master mind. The ship, the
crew, all obeyed him implicitly. He was
the will of the ship, and an iron will at that.
Finally the fury of the storm spent itself
and the skies cleared, but the effect of the
hurricane was still manifest in the sea.
Great foam-covered swells rolled by, many
of them breaking over the lower deck. But
they were rhythmic and one always knew
when to expect the next one. This was all
right as long as the waves ran at the regu-
lation height, but the combers were quite dif-
ferent. In them is an element of danger
that no seamanship can guard against, no
matter how skillful it may be.
A comber is a wave twice or three times
as high as its fellows. It is the king of
waves, riding head and shoulders above its
fellows, and often carrying death and de-
struction in its wake. Combers sixty feet
high have been observed by trustworthy
witnesses.
64 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
The ship had experienced several combers
about five o'clock, none of which did any
damage, although they drenched the lower
deck and sent hogsheads of water into the
cabin. The sun had come out and many of
the passengers had reappeared on deck.
Little Hilda had gone down into the steer-
age to visit another girl with whom she had
become acquainted. They were standing by
the rail chattering away excitedly about the
storm, when the father of all combers reared
its foam-covered crest close to the ship.
The ship's officers had seen it coming, but
had not appreciated how tall it was, because
the seas were running so high. It struck the
side of the ship with a noise like heaviest
thunder and submerged the lower deck three
feet deep with hissing water. It fairly
covered the two little girls, but would have
done no special harm had not the return
impulse of the wave picked Hilda up and
carried her over the rail into the boiling sea.
The doctor and the second mate, who were
standing on the hurricane deck, saw the
frightful accident and gave the alarm. Al-
though the sea was still running mountains
 The Crossing 65

high, it was doubtful if a boat could

and
live in yet a crew sprang to the nearest
it,

lifeboat and began slowly lowering it.

The doctor strained his eyes to see if
Hilda came up on the crest of the next wave,
for she had immediately disappeared in the
trough. To his great joy the red dress ap-
peared on the very crest.
'
' My God !
' there she is. '
cried the mate, '
'

If there was only something or somebody to

keep her afloat until the boat could reach
her, but no man could swim in that sea.
Pep was whimpering at his master's legs,
trying to climb up that he might see over the
rail. He knew instinctively that something
terriblehad happened, he read his master's
thought like an open book.
His sharp yelp of excitement called the
doctor's attention to him. The surgeon
stooped down and lifted him to the rail and
in that moment a sudden inspiration came
to him. "Pep, see Hilda. Bring Hilda."
One of the tricks the doctor had taught
him was to retrieve and now the accomplish-
ment stood them all in good stead.
Could he reach the girl? Should he send
66 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
him? The chance looked slim, but in his
profession human life was always set above
animal life. So he repeated, "Look, Pep.
Hilda, bring. '
With these words, he raised
'

the dog above the rail and pitched him into

the raging sea.
It was a good fifty feet down to the water,
but the dog landed right side up and did not
seem to mind the plunge, for he began swim-
ming directly towards the girl whom he had
recognized from his perch on the rail.
The minute following was a tense one for
all concerned. There was the raging sea on
one hand, trying to suck up the little human
life, and there was the brave dog and the boat

battling for her life.

A great shout went up from the ship as
Pep reached his playmate and fastened his
teeth firmly in her dress. The first part of
the battle against the elements had been won.
Could the faithful dog hold on till the boat
reached them?
All held their breath as the dog struggled
to keep his place above the wave while the
lifeboat fought its way toward them. Could
they hold out? Would the boat be able to
 miim, m M<
"Pep reached his playmate and fastened his teeth
firmly in her dress."
 The Crossing 67

reach them? These were the questions on

all lips. The minute seemed like an hour,
so tense it was. But all minutes come to an
end, and this one did, with glorious victory.
Not victory for the sea, but victory for
the dog and the boat. For at last the watch-
erssaw the boat reach them and the strong
arm of a sailor reach out and drag them both
to safety. Then they fought their way back
to the ship while the passengers cheered
themselves hoarse.
Hilda was unconscious when they placed
her in her father's arms, and Pep was so
weak he could hardly stand, but his eye was
full of fight and he could still wag his tail in
appreciation of the petting he received.
A warm bed and a restorative soon set
Hilda right, and Pep only needed rest. But
he had gained his place among the crew and
the passengers as a hero. If he had not been
a sensible dog, they would have spoiled him
with petting during the remainder of the
trip.
Four days later the ship came close to the
and precautions were redoubled.
Irish coast
This was the submarine zone and no one
68 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
knew at what moment those devils of the
deep might appear.
It was nearly midnight. The ship was
creeping along through the darkness with all
lights out, closely guarded by two torpedo
boats. The doctor was sleeping soundly in
his bunk and Pep was dreaming of home in
the cook's cabin,when there came a mighty
explosion which shook the great ship from
bow to stern. There had been no warning.
It had come like a sudden clap of thunder,
but every one knew instinctively that they
had been struck by a torpedo.
Immediately all was confusion. Passen-
gers came hurriedly on deck, dressing as
they came. For a few seconds two power-
ful searchlights played upon the water about
the ship to discover the submarine if possi-
ble, and the guns at the bow and the stern
were made ready for instant action, but the
murderous devilfish had departed as sud-
denly as it had appeared.
The ship was listing badly and the hole
was fast filling, so the boats were made
ready. The doctor did not know whether he
would be allowed to take Pep with him or
 The Crossing 69

not, but he went to the cook's cabin for the

dog.
The crew worked silently and like sol-
diers. So rapidly they performed their
tasks that when the doctor reappeared with
Pep the first boat load was pulling away
from the ship. Soon the doctor's unit was
called and he went around to the other side
of the ship where a boat was already nearly
loaded.
"Can I take the dog with mefasked the
doctor doubtfully as he reached the rail. A
ship's officer stood at the rail with drawn
revolver.
"Not by a damnsight," he growled.
"Look at that boat."
The doctor looked. The lifeboat was
crowded to the gunwale.
"Hurry," commanded the officer. "The
boat is waiting."
"But what shall I do with my dog?"
pleaded the doctor, though he saw that Pep's
casewas hopeless.
"Hurry, I tell you. It'sno time to be
haggling about the life of a dog. Get in or
'
I will give the signal for the boat to pull off.
70 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
"All right," said the doctor. "Give it.

I can't leave Pep."

"Here, here, doctor," growled a stern
visaged colonel coming up behind them.
"You are under military orders. Get into
that boat. Give the dog to me." He
snatched the growling dog from his master's
arms and threw him upon the deck and
then fairly shoved the doctor over the rail
and down into the boat.
The doctor heard a dismal howl from Pep
as he was left behind and then he felt the
boat lowering towards the water.
"Officer," he called to the man at the rail,
"Shoot the dog. I can't leave him in that
way." But instead of shooting him, the of-
ficer kicked at Pep who was trying desper-
ately to climb over the rail.
The doctor sat huddled in the corner of
the lifeboat, his head in his hands as they
pulled away from the ship.
It seemed strange to the other passengers
that with death all around them a strong
man should feel so deeply the loss of a dog,
but only dog lovers understand these things.
No one but a dog lover knows the comfort of
 The Crossing 71

that soft tongue on your cheek, or the muzzle

in your hand.
Presently the doctor was aroused from his
grief by a wild yelp. He looked back to-
wards the ship and in the darkness he could
just see Pep balancing himself on the rail,
and a second later he sprang into the sea.
At the sight, hope welled up in the phy-
sician's heart. If it was not more than five
miles to the shore, perhaps the dog could
swim. Soon the white head appeared close
to the boat and the dog whimpered to be
taken aboard, but his master could not even
do that much for him. The law of the ship
was like the laws of the Persians, irrevo-
cable, but he talked to Pep and encouraged
him as he swam behind.
Half an hour passed and the dog swam
steadily. They must have covered two
miles. Another half hour went by and Pep
began to weaken and to lag behind. Occa-
sionally he stopped to tread water.
The doctor's heart sank within him, it was
going to be a losing fight for brave Pep after
all. But at this point the boat stopped to
determine if possible their direction and by
72 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

a mighty effort Pep regained the gunwale.

Then a bright idea came to the doctor and he
cursed his stupidity for not having thought
of it before. He unlaced his shoes and tied
the strings together. Then he coaxed Pep
close to the boat and tied the shoestring in
his collar. With that done he breathed a
great sigh of relief. The dog was now as
safe as the rest of them. If the boat made
shore, he would.
Two hours later the lifeboat grounded on
the beach and the physician dragged his
nearly senseless bull terrier after him to the
shore.
He was quite spent, but could still wag his
tail and lick his master's hands, and the doc-
torknew that rest was all he needed.
"Good stuff, old pal," he said, tweaking
the dog's ears as he set him down on the
beach. "It takes more than a submarine to
put you and me out of commission. We will
get even with the Boche for this."
To which Pep responded with a sigh of
deep satisfaction.
 CHAPTER IV
THE HOSPITAL

PEP and his master were assigned

to duty in the great hospital at Brest
finally

and life went on there quite to the dog's

liking.
The hospital was composed of a number
and
of long, low buildings, all cool, clean,
quiet. There were so many buildings and
wards for different ailments that Pep won-
dered how his master could ever remember
where all his patients were. When the doc-
tor was too busy have him around, Pep
to
spent his time in the dispensary, where he
was a prime favorite with Captain Everts,
who had charge of this important portion of
the hospital. The captain was also a doctor,
so sometimes his friends called him "Doc' !

and sometimes "Cap,-' 2

but all were very
respectful.
73
74 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

There was a fine soft rug under a great

table and here Pep would lie for hours
watching the doctors and nurses come and
go. Some of them spoke to him and some
did not. For some of them he would grin
and wag his tail, but the majority he hardly
deigned to notice.
He
usually went with the doctor for his
morning rounds through the wards. He
would follow sedately at his master's heels
from ward to ward.
When his master stopped to examine a
patient, Pep stopped and watched proceed-
ings narrowly. There were several things
that he noticed his master always did.
First he would say "Good morning" and
"How are you this fine day?" The doctor
always said that no matter if it was raining
buckets full, and it was either raining or
cloudy most of the time.
Then the doctor would go to the paper
which they called a chart at the head of the
bed and study it intently. Pep could
usually tell whether or not his master was
pleased with what he saw on the chart.
When he was not pleased, the doctor
 The Hospital 75

would take out his watch and hold the man's

wrist. He would also sometimes look at
the patient's tongue, but usually the surgeon
spent his time putting on bandages, chang-
ing dressings, and doing other needful
things for the poor wounded soldiers.
Some of the men would speak to Pep and
for some of them he would stand on his hind
legs and let them stroke his head. If he
liked the soldier, he would lick his hand.
So it happened that many of the soldiers
came to look for Pep's morning visit as
much as they did for the doctor's.
He would often visit at the convalescents'
ward on his own account. There the men
were up walking around, or sitting in chairs.
Usually they would be playing cards, read-
ing, or writing letters home.
They often took Pep into their confidence
and told him about their sweethearts at
home, or that he reminded them of a dog
they once knew. Several of the soldiers in
this ward became very fond of Pep and he
of them. He would allow himself to be
stroked and petted a great deal by his favor-
ites. He felt in some way that it helped the
76 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

soldiers to pet him. He knew that he and

his master were here to help the soldiers,
so he would gladly sacrifice his dignity in
the good cause.
He would sit gravely listening for half an
hour at a time while the soldiers talked ex-
citedly about the battles they had been in.
He noted that their faces always grew grave
or angry when they mentioned the word
Boche. So he finally decided in his dog way,
which was not quite clear as to the reasons
why, that Boche meant something bad. It
was probably the enemy, the thing that they
were all out here to fight.
Finally one of the men who was fond of
dogs and had a trick dog at home taught Pep
to growl at the mention of the Boche, and
this accomplishment greatly pleased the
soldiers.
Every two or three days the activities at
the hospital would be doubled and then Pep
would often hear the word battle. That
meant that the number of ambulances arriv-
ing that day would be greatly increased. At
such times he was always out in the great
quadrangle before the main building watch-
 The Hospital 77

ing the ambulances come and go, and the

nurses and doctors unload the wounded men.
It was a serious time. No one laughed or
joked here as they did in the dispensary.
At such times his master would not even
notice him when he rubbed against his leg
to attract his attention.
Pep slept on his rug under the table
fine
in the dispensary. Some one was always on
duty, and nurses were coming and going all
night. In fact, the hospital was almost as
busy during the night as it was in the day
time.
One night when he had been there about
three weeks he was awakened by the most
terrible thunderstorm that he had ever
heard, or at least that was what he thought
it. The thunder claps came one after an-
other in quick succession. Only they were
much more staccato than thunder, more like
giant firecrackers. Nurses and doctors
were hurrying to and fro, and the orderly
hospital was turned into pandemonium.
Pep came hurriedly out of his place of
hiding under the table to discover what was
the matter, and soon heard the word Boche.
78 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

Every one was so angry that lie decided the

Boche must have something to do with the
thunderstorm, but just what he could not
imagine.
He was trotting about after the captain
growling softly to himself when a thunder-
bolt much louder than the rest exploded
right in their midst. Pep heard the sound
of breaking glass all about him. Some of
the pieces stuck in his skin and the air was
filled with a pungent liquid that drenched
Pep's back.
He growled savagely, but his growls
changed to yelps when the liquid began eat-
ing into his skin. With yelps of pain he
fled from the dispensary, out into the open
air. This did not help much, however, as
the liquid still burned fiercely. All was ex-
citement outside. The thunder had ceased
but broken glass was everywhere, while in
many places there were bricks and timbers
and splintered boards thrown about in every
direction.
Finally an orderly noticed Pep's distress
and examined him. He brought ointment
and rubbed the dog's back till the burning
 The Hospital 79

almost ceased. But in the morning it was

seen that he had lost a large patch of hair
just back of his shoulders. This was his
first wound at the hands of the Boche, but
not his last.
The terrible thunderstorm which Pep had
been through was a Boche bombing expedi-
tion which had the base hospital as its mark.
So Pep learned that there were devils in
the deep and devils in the sky, and he knew
from what was said about them that they
were all Boches.
After that night he growled louder than
ever at the word Boche.
One day about a week after the night
bombing expedition Pep's master came into
the dispensary. Pep was lying under the
table on his favorite rug, asleep, but he
aroused himself at the familiar step.
" Hello, old sport, u said the physician,
tossing a stick of cinnamon candy under the
table to the dog.
Pep was very fond of candy, especially of
cinnamon. His master, who was something
of a joker, said it was because of the bark
in it. The terrier wagged his tail in appre-
80 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
ciation, swallowed the candy after two or
three crunches and came out to greet his
master.
The doctor sat down heavily in the easy
chair by the table and motioned for Pep
to come up into his lap. This was a priv-
ilege for special occasions and the dog com-
plied with alacrity.
The doctor looked about the room wearily.
He had just come off duty after eighteen
hours, and was very tired. The large room
was nearly empty, the only other occupant
being a young man who sat at a typewriter
clicking away for dear life at the other end
of the room.
"It's just you and Pep, " said the man,
I, 1

running the dog's silky ears through his

fingers in a way the terrier loved. " We can
have a good visit, Pep. I'm lonesome, old
chap. I want you to comfort me. I am
thinking of the dear old home and the mis-
tress. What do you suppose the little
woman is doing to-day? I'll bet you an-
other stick of candy against three wags of
your tail that she is thinking of us. I am
sure of that, old sport."
 The Hospital 81

The dog took the proffered candy gingerly

in his teeth and then dropped it disdainfully
on the floor. His master was incredulous,
so stooped and picked up the candy and
offered it again. Pep was usually ravenous
for candy but he again dropped it on the
floor, then sat up very straight and looked
hard into his master's face. His ears were
cocked. His expression was inquiring.
There was something afoot, something in the
wind that he did not like. No candy for him
until his master smiled, or looked more
cheerful.
The look that the dog fastened on his face
was so intent that the master's gaze fell be-
fore that of his inquisitor. He pulled the
dog's ear to distract him. But he would
not be distracted. Instead, he put his paws
on the man's shoulders, and looked fairly
into his face. The man stooped down and
kissed him on the top of the head.
"You are all I have to kiss now, Pep," he
said. "I'd rather kiss you than some folks.
I'm thinking of home, old chap.'^
The dog heaved a deep sigh. He knew
that his master was sad and he was a sort of
82 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

aeolian harp that always responded to his

master's moods with sympathetic chords.
"Pep," said the doctor sternly, "sit down
in my lap and listen. I want to talk to you.
I am going away."
The dog sat on his haunches in the man's
lap and listened intently, his head on one
side as though to catch each word, a sad,
wistful look on his face.
The doctor had sometimes used that tone
to him before when he was going away to
New York for several days. Then it had
meant loneliness and dog heartache, so Pep
was rightfully depressed.
"I'm going away, Pep. It is to the front.
I am going where the wounded men come
from and you must be a good dog and stay
here and not run away. Do you under-
stand? You must be a good dog."
Pep knew the tone was that of reproof and
admonishment, so he dropped his ears and
looked very meek.
"The last time I left you, you ran away
and made me lots of trouble. This time you
must be good."
 The Hospital 83

The dog wagged his tail and whimpered.

He would be good.
The doctor felt of his collar. It was very
heavy and studded with brass rivets. "It's
strong enough, he said.'
' You can 't break
i
'

that." Then he tried it to see if he could

slip it over Pep 's head. It was rather loose,
so for luck he took it up a hole. "There,
now I'll get a good strong chain and I guess
you'll be all right. Of course you'll be lone-
some and make a great fuss, but these are
hard times for us all, and you will have to be
a good soldier like the rest of us."
Pep had seen the doctor try his collar be-
fore when he was to be tied up. His free-
dom was very dear to him. He loved to
roam about the hospital. They were going
to tie him up. He crawled up and licked
his master's hand eagerly and pleaded in his
dog way.
It isn 't any use, old chap. You have got
1
'

to be tied up."
Sadly the terrier sank down in his mas-
ter's lap, a look of utter dejection on his
face.
84 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
The doctor laughed."It isn't as bad as
that, old sport.If I come back we'll have
good times yet. If I don't, I'll tell them to
send you home to the mistress. If I don't
come back, you take good care of the mis-
tress.
"Here come my orders, old chum," said
the physician, giving Pep a final hug as an
orderly came in and put a telegram in the
surgeon's hand. The doctor read the letter
hurriedly and put it into his pocket.
He then brought a heavy dog chain and
snapped it into Pep's collar and led him out
of the dispensary to a storeroom where he
sometimes slept at night. He fastened the
chain securely to a staple in the wall and
after giving Pep a parting hug, departed
hurriedly, unmindful of hiswhimpers and
angry barks. Half an hour later the doctor
was on a train speeding away to the front,
while Pep sulked dolefully in the storeroom.
Pep seemed to know instinctively that his
master had gone for a long time. The doc-
torhad left him several times before for half
a day since they had been in France, but
now it was different. That long confidential
 The Hospital 85

talk in the dispensary and the affectionate

hugs and lavish petting foretold to his dog
mind a long separation.
That night Pep howled so persistently
that his friend, the Captain, finally came
into the storeroom and gave him a sound
thrashing. After this he was silent except
for occasional half stifled whimpers and
sobs of grief. But though he seemed to take
his hard fate stoically, he was not recon-
ciled.
The Captain led him each day on the leash
into the dispensary and chained him to the
leg of the table. He watched the movements
of every one who came in and if any one
spoke to him he at once told them in as plain
language as a dog could use to unsnap his
chain and let him go. But the Captain
warned each new-comer that Pep was to be
kept strictly on the chain until his master's
return.
In the daytime he was not so lonesome or
unconsolable, but in the night he often lay
awake whimpering for his master or work-
ing at his chain and collar trying to get loose.
He would spend hours tugging at the chain,
86 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

pulling at the staple with his teeth, or trying

to get at his collar, until he lay down ut-
terly exhausted.
So fared with Pep for two weeks, until
it

finally one night when he had tugged and

strained even more violently than usual, one
of the links in his chain which had been only
partly welded broke and he was free.
Free from the chain, but not free from the
hospital. He knew well that if any one dis-
covered that he was loose, he would be tied
up again, so he crouched in a corner of the
room behind a packing box and awaited his
chance.
Nurses often came to this storeroom in the
night for supplies.
After about half an hour, the door opened
quickly and some one came in hurriedly.
The door was left half ajar, so Pep slipped
out and ran into the main corridor leading
to the great quadrangle in front of the hos-
pital. Here he slipped behind a door and
waited for the next door to open.
Luck was with him. The telephone was
constantly ringing, and soon nurses and
doctors were hurrying to and fro. Pres-
 The Hospital 87

ently he learned the reason why, for they

began bringing in an endless procession of
wounded men. The quadrangle was filled
with ambulances.
He could hear the motors puffing away
from his hiding place. When wounded and
dying men are arriving faster than they
can be cared for, men do not think much
about dogs, so it was easy enough for Pep
to slip out through the quadrangle and into
the boulevard. He brushed against the leg
of his friend the Captain, who did not even
notice him.
Once out on the broad street he turned
his nose northward and galloped away like
the wind.
Something away to the northeast was call-
ing, calling, calling. A mind and a soul
that was stronger than his own dog mind
was pulling him, pulling, pulling, pulling,
so why should he not know which way to go !
This sense or instinct which some of the
dumb animals have is called orientation.
Dogs and horses have it to a marked degree
and homing pigeons and seals even more.
Thompson Seton tells of how when hope-
88 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

lessly lost in theEocky Mountains a dozen

miles from home his horse carried him
straight to camp, when he gave him his head.
My own small dog, a clever beagle, has an
almost uncanny sense of my whereabouts, a
sense that transcends mind.
When I arise in the morning and go from
my bedroom to the bathroom he may be
playing with some other dogs twenty rods
away, but as soon as I open my bedroom
door, as though I had touched a hidden
spring in his dog intellect, he will turn and
gallop for the house and be whining at the
front door to be let in when I come down
stairs.
These lesser minds are to our stronger
minds as filings to the magnet. We call and
they come though no word is spoken and our
command may only be expressed in a great
longing.
So Pep galloped and galloped and knew
not why, only something was calling and
calling and he could but obey. He did not
need a map or a compass. His dog instinct
supplied both.
The reason for his galloping was this.
 The Hospital 89

His master, who was also his god, lay in a

narrow gulch at the edge of the Argonne
forest, close to a little brook in a poplar
thicket, shot through the hips and nearly
dead from thirst and loss of blood.
 CHAPTER V
THE BATTLEFIELD

do events move at the

SOthe wonderfully
fast with
front,
organized war machine,
that six hours after the doctor's unit finally
detrained at a little station somewhere in
France, near the Argonne forest, they found
themselves closely following up an American
regiment. The regiment was engaged in
that most nerve-racking and hazardous un-
dertaking of routing out machine-gun nests
in a heavily wooded sector.
Even before they left the train they could
hear the continuous cannonading away to
the northeast. It was like the constant roll-
ing of heaviest thunder dotted with many
quick staccato explosions. The fire from
the heavy artillery was also visible along
the horizon.
At first they went forward through open
90
 The Battlefield 91

country, undulating and broken, but soon

entered intermittent woods, with deep ra-
vines and sharp ridges, just the sort of
country for hard fighting.
Much of this region was so rough that the
ambulances could not penetrate it, and the
wounded had to be brought out for leagues
on stretchers; but most of them lay where
they fell and the surgeons and Red Cross
men gave them first aid there, and trusted
to luck to get them out later.
The region had been the scene of heavy
fighting for two days, and the signs of war's
horrible devastation were on every hand.
Shrapnel had stripped the trees of much of
their foliage. Many them were down
of
while others were torn and broken, with
limbs hanging or strewed on the ground.
The whole face of nature was scarred and
furrowed, seamed and made hideous by the
passing of the hurricane of battle.
How beautiful was the fair face of France
in peace, yet how terrible in war.
But now the heaviest fighting had rolled
away to the north and the immediate work
was that of the regiment in front of them
92 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

which was clearing out the hornet's nest of

machine-guns that the Boche had left be-
hind.
But the doctor was a man of courage,
deeply absorbed in his profession, and he
soon found himself cutting out proud flesh
and bandaging up gaping wounds, with the
bullets whistling through the treetops above
him, just as unconcerned as though he were
still in the hospital at Brest. From point to
point these brave men followed in the wake
of battle, here and there snatching a desper-
ately wounded man from the very mouth of
hell. No bands played to divert them.
There was no glitter of uniforms, or bright
flag to inspire them, only the call of duty
and the pathetic gratitude of the poor fel-
lows whom they succored.
Just at dusk the doctor found himself
alone in a narrow gulch. Deep shade was
overhead, and a little brook babbled softly
through the gulch, but now its cool waters
were red with blood and roiled with the
passing of many feet. In this gulch the
surgeon found several dead and wounded
men, and it was while binding up the wounds
 The Battlefield 93

of a Tennessee mountaineer who had been

shot through the hip that a stray bullet
found the surgeon and stretched him beside
the man whom he was trying to save.
At first he was not in great pain, only par-
alyzed, but as the hours passed and the stars
appeared up among the tops of the trees,
fever mounted in his veins and finally de-
lirium seized him and he talked incoherently
to a dead man beside him of home and
friends far away.
Meanwhile faithful Pep still galloped on
to the northeast, obedient to the strong
magnet that pulled him, the call of his mas-
ter's heart to his own loving dog heart,
which knew but this one strong passion.
All through that night he galloped, only
occasionally slowing down for a few kilo-
meters to rest. He did not know to what
place he was going, or what it would be like
when he arrived, but he did know that at the
end of the long road his master was calling
for him. By noon of the day following his
escape from the hospital he was so foot-sore
he sometimes had to stop to lick his paws.
They were stone bruised and bleeding at the
94 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
roots of the nails. But he did not pause
for long, he could not with his master
calling.
By
evening he had reached the small sta-
tion where his master had deployed with his
unit at noon the day before. He immedi-
ately struck into the partly wooded undulat-
ing country. The sight of trees and woods
pleased Pep. All theway he had been fear-
ful that some one would catch him and carry
him back to the hospital before he should
find his master. In the woods he felt more
secure for here he could hide, besides some-
thing told him that somewhere here in the
forest he would find the doctor.
It was now ten o'clock at night, and the
Boche had decided that they did not want the
enemy to bring up fresh troops and occupy
the woods, so they were sweeping the thickets
and gulches with shrapnel and shells. Pep
was terrified with the deafening noise and
the bright flashes all about him. Occasion-
ally he would stop and whimper and crouch
close to the ground. The earth was
friendly. It would not let these fierce bolts
of lightning or the terrible thunder get him.
 The Battlefield 95

Occasionally he would stand uncertain for

several seconds and whimper softly.
Instinctively he knew that these sounds
were full of danger to himself. He had seen
what desolation such sounds could make the
night the Boche bombed the hospital. He
wanted to go back, but he could not for his
master was still calling. To him there was
but one law, and that was obedience to the
voice which he loved. So after a short time
he would again creep forward.
At last after a more fearful explosion
than usual, which rained small particles all
about him, he found himself in the narrow
gulch, by the little stream near which his
master lay. He stopped for a moment to
cool his burning feet in the water and to lick
up some of the refreshing liquid, then, joy
of joys, he discovered the doctor's footprints
in the sand close to the brook. He sniffed
excitedly and then with a glad yelp sprang
forward eagerly keeping his nose close to
the ground in order not to miss the trail.
It wound in and out for several rods. Once
it stopped by the side of a dead soldier. Pep
sniffed at the man's cold face, then hurried
96 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

on. Would his master be like that when he

found him? He missed the trail for a few
feet where the doctor had stepped on some
stones, but he soon recovered it again.
Then joy unyelpable, he took the body scent
and abandoned the trail. Three or four
bounds carried him to the spot where the
surgeon lay, prone upon the ground and very
still.

Pep sniffed at his master's face eagerly.

It was not cold like the soldier's. He licked
the face frantically and whimpered piti-
fully. He sought the hand and thrust his
muzzle into it. That, too, was warm, but
very limp.
Again Pep began licking the dear face
and something in the familiar touch pene-
trated to the surgeon's slumbering con-
sciousness, bringing him partly out of his
swoon.
Pep noted with delight that the limp
fingers closed gently over his muzzle and he
registered his joy with a glad bark. Had
his master been fully possessed of his senses
he would have warned him that it was very
dangerous to bark in the enemy's country,
 The Battlefield 97

but the doctor was only partly conscious.

The gentle pressure did not mean as much
as the dog imagined.
It was purely an involuntary movement.
He was so used to squeezing the dog's muz-
zle that it was something that he did in-
stinctively. Then the hand lay still for a
long time and the faithful watcher became
very anxious. He showered the hand with
dog kisses. But his master did not respond,
so he went to the other hand.
Here, after a long time, he was again re-
warded, for the fingers tweaked his ears
gently. This was an old love token of his
master's and the dog was delighted. From
this time on he went from hand to hand
licking them and encouraging his master.
It is quite possible that these gentle minis-
trations did much to revive the fainting
man. They at least gave him something to
hold on to. They formed an objective,
something towards which he might struggle,
just as a gleam of light affords the needed
clew in the darkness.
At last the physician came to himself
enough to speak the dog's name in a thick,
98 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

strange voice, but it was unmistakable and

the frantic terrier was overjoyed. Then
the man lapsed into silence and was very
still for another long time.

Finally to the great relief of the agonized

dog the hand began fumbling about and the
man to talk incoherently.
"I'm shot through the hips. It is dark.
I was lost, and faithful Pep came and found
me. He's a good dog, faithful old Pep."
At the sound of his name Pep renewed his
frantic kissing of his master's hand.
"Pep he sticks by me. He is a good dog.
God, how weak I am I am burning up. If
!

I only had a drop of water."

His hand went instinctively to his canteen.
With a great effort after many trials he
found it, but the hand was too weak to carry
it to his lips. Pep watched these feeble
effortswith dismay, his master was usually
so strong and decided in his movements.
He had seen men in the hospital act just like
this. His master must be sick, indeed.
Again the doctor rested and Pep waited,
not knowing what to do.
Finally, with a deep sigh, the physician
 The Battlefield 99

raised the canteen slowly to his lips. He

was at least a minute in performing this
simple act, but when his fevered, parched
lips closed over the nozzle, the canteen was
found to be entirely empty. With a groan
he let it fall and sank back discouraged.
Pep was quick to notice the distress in his
master's voice when he again addressed him.
"Pep, old comrade, I am dying for the
want of a little water. Water, Pep, I want
some water. * 1 -

The dog listened intently, but could not

catch the man's meaning, so he gave him
another score of dog kisses.
The doctor reached down and lifted up the
empty canteen. "See here, Pep, old com-
rade, I want water. I am dying for water.
'

Pep whimpered softly, echoing his mas-

ter's agonized tones. Then the gleam of a
wonderful idea shot through the doctor's
brain. It was an inspiration, a /thought
the good God who watched over all his chil-
dren had given him. He laughed as he con-
sidered it dazedly. It seemed feasible.
Anyhow it was his only hope. He would
try it.
100 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

"Pep," he said, lifting the canteen feebly

and tossing it a few feet away.
"Bring, Pep. Bring."
The dog at once sprang to the canteen
and brought it in his mouth to his master.
"Good dog, we'll try again. This time
he tossed it towards the brook, which was
about twenty feet away. Again Pep re-
trieved the canteen. Then the doctor threw
the canteen as far towards the brook as he
could, having first removed the top. It fell
just a little short, but Pep brought it to him,
thinking it a fine game.
The next time the physician had the satis-
faction of hearing it drop in the water.
Pep was after it in a flash. This was great
fun.
To the doctor's disgust there were only a
few drops of water in the canteen when the
dog returned with it as he had held it on its
side. But even these few drops were most
grateful to the parched tongue. The next
time they had much better luck. Pep by ac-
cident held it by the nozzle and the doctor
found the canteen half full of water. He
seized it with delight and drank long and
 The Battlefield 101

deep. Then he petted and praised Pep gen-

erously and with a deep sigh of satisfaction
lay down to rest.
"You stay here, old comrade, and watch
while I sleep. I 'm just about all in. When
I have rested we will see if we can get out
of this."
Soon his beloved master was so quiet that
Pep was once more alarmed lest he become
like the dead soldier he had seen beside the
brook a few rods back. For a long time he
sat on his haunches watching. Occasionally
he would steal close to the man and lick his
hand. Then he would return, to his silent
vigil.
In the bushes near by he could hear a
wounded soldier groaning and moaning,
talking in his delirium. In another direc-
tion he could hear some one breathing
deeply. The doctor could have told him
that this man was dying, but Pep did not
know this. All about them in the woods
shells were bursting. Shrapnel was mak-
ing the woods hideous, stripping the foliage
and green branches from the already partly
denuded trees.
102 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

Through open places Pep could see

strange lights to the north. These were sig-
nal rockets.
Pep was very tired and footsore. He did
not feel sleepy, but very wide awake. There
was a glad joy in his faithful dog heart for
he had found his master, but all was not well
with them yet. His master wanted to sleep
and sleep. It was not like him. They were
far from the hospital. These frightful
noises were not good for either men or dogs,
but he could do nothing else but just watch
and wait. Again his master awoke and be-
gan talking to him strangely. He first
threw the canteen and drank from it twice,
but he did not seem to get relief. The truth
was his fever was mounting and he was even
weaker than he had been before. Both of
these facts finally filtered into his conscious-
ness. Something must be done at once.
He must have medical aid immediately.
Somebody or something must come to them
shortly or it would be too late. Again he
drowsed and considered the facts in the case
vaguely.
Once more he had a bright idea, which was
 The Battlefield 103

another inspiration. He must manage in

some way to get Pep to go for help. This
was his only chance. He could not tell the
dog what he wanted, but he could send him
away. Perhaps he would find a Red Cross
man somewhere in this inferno of a woods
and bring him back, so he summoned all his
remaining strength for this attempt.
"Here, Pep, old comrade. Come up close
and listen. *
1
Pep crowded a little closer
'

and cocked his ears, alert and eager to do

his master's bidding.
"You must go for help. I can't tell you
so you will understand, but go home. Go
home. ,? He struck the dog feebly on the
shoulder- and repeated the words, "Go
home.'^
The blow, slight as was, hurt Pep
it
keenly, but he listened. The doctor re-
peated the blow and the admonition.
The dog knew well what those words
meant. They were the most hateful words
in his dog vocabulary, which was not large.
How many times his master had turned,
when Pep wanted so much to follow, and
said sternly, "Go home. ,?
104 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

He waited. Surely his master could not

mean it this time. Here he was alone and
sick away in the dark woods. Surely he
wanted his dog to stay with him. But again
the master struck him, and said, sternly.
"Go horne.^
Sadly, reluctantly, he turned, whimpering
as he went and trotted off into the darkness
occasionally looking back over his shoulder
to see if hismaster had not repented.
The doctor heard him splash into the
brook to cross it, then he sank down wearily,
a great drowsiness creeping over him. For
awhile he fought it, but finally yielded and
sank into deep oblivion.
 CHAPTER yi
THE RESCUE

A S Pep trotted away into the shell-raked

^"V woods he was probably the most heart-
broken dog that ever slunk away to do his
master's bidding. He had traveled so far
to find his beloved master, his feet had been
sore and his tongue parched with the long
journey and he had watched so faithfully
by the doctor's side all through the long
night. And now his master had sent him
away. He knew that his master needed him
also, for he was so weak he could not even
bring his canteen with water, or hold up his
head to drink.
The blow on his shoulder had been a very
light one, but it had wounded Pep more than
any blow he had ever received before.
Why did his master send him away? He
had been a faithful dog. What should he
109
106 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

do? Where should he go? He was not

quite sure of the way back to the hospital.
The woods were full of frightful sounds, full
of lightning and thunder, the kind that tore
the limbs from great trees, stripped the
leaves from their branches and plowed
holes in the ground, holes so deep that if
he ever fell into one of them he might not be
able to get out again.
For several seconds he stood whimpering
under a bush, uncertain, but his terrier fight-
ing blood soon asserted itself and he began
picking his way slowly forward in the direc-
tion which he thought would take him back
to the road that led to the hospital.
For fifteen minutes he went forward man-
aging by his clever dog instinct to keep going
in the same direction, where a human being
might have gone round and round in a circle.
Then something happened that quite
changed his course. It came so suddenly
that he did not know where it came from.
He only realized in a dim way that it was a
part of this terrible night, more of the
frightfulness that was all about him, only
this time it nearly got him.
 The Rescue 107

Suddenly, and without any warning, there

was a bright flash of light over among the
bushes. The air was filled with broken
limbs and flying leaves and dust, and hun-
dreds of small missiles, and one of these
which was really a fragment of shrapnel,
caught Pep in his hind leg, and left that
member limp and broken, as useless as a
stick.
He was so stunned and shaken and the
breath was so knocked out of him that he
lay still for several minutes, but finally he
dragged himself up on three legs and tried
to discover what had happened to him, and
where he was. There was such a tangle of
brush about him that it was difficult to extri-
cate himself, but finally he dug his way out.
Then it was that he discovered the accident
to his leg. It pained him frightfully and
the blow had partially paralyzed his back, so
itwas many minutes before he could even
drag himself forward, a few feet at a time.
Soon his tongue came out and he was pant-
ing and lolling as though it had been noon-
day in summer, instead of the cool of the
morning. It was now so hard to travel that
108 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

he did not think he could even reach the

smooth road, for he had to lie down and rest
every few rods.
Once he found a cool, green spot under a
great tree where war had not devastated na-
ture. Here he lay for half an hour resting
and then, feeling better, he went forward
faster.
He had come almost to the edge of the
woods when he heard men's voices. He lis-
tened eagerly. Perhaps they were friends.
If they were, he would go to them. Soon he
made out the voices plainly. They were not
far away, so he crept forward eagerly.
At last he made them out. They were
friends. They wore uniforms like the men
at the hospital. He wagged his tail fran-
tically and crept still closer. He would
make sure. There were so many things to
be afraid of here in this strange land to
which he and his master had come.
Presently the men came so close that he
could see them plainly. They were talking
in low voices. They were two Red Cross
men carrying a wounded soldier on a litter.
He was very sure they were good men, for
 The Rescue 109

their dress was just like that of the men who

unloaded the ambulances at the hospital.
With a glad yelp Pep limped forward. He
felt very sure they would be good to him.
The Red Cross men had often petted him at
the hospital.
The men were so busy with the wounded
soldier that they did not notice him until he
rubbed against the leg of one of them. That
made the man stop and cry out.
His companion laughed. " 'E won't 'urt
you, Bill," he heard the other man say.
" 'E is just a poor wounded bull terrier. 'E
just came out of the bush." The two men
laid down the stretcher to rest and one of
them called Pep to him.
"Poor Perp," he said. "You 'ev got it
in your 'ind leg. War is 'ell all right, eh
old dog?"
Pep assented and licked the man's hand.
There was something he wanted the man to
do. He could not think what it was, but the
man's next words reminded him.
"Where's your master, old sport? You
air lost. Whose dog are you, Perp, any
how?" j
110 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

It was not so much the words as the way

the man said them and the way he rubbed
Pep's muzzle that really reminded him of
his master, wounded and weak, away off in
the terrible woods.
Pep whimpered and sniffed and the man
who loved dogs saw that he had struck a
sympathetic chord.
"Wat's your name, Perp? You looks
like a good fighting English bull terrier all
right. You are a thoroughbred or I ain't no
judge of dorgs."
Pep whimpered again and turned and
licked his flank.
"Yes, I see you air hit. So is this poor
devil in this air stretcher. Come, Bill, we
must get him out of this."
Together they took up the stretcher and
started forward. Pep was frantic. He
caught at the man's pant leg and pulled
backward. They must not leave his master
in the woods. They must go for him, too.
The man kicked at him. What 's the cur
'
'

want, Bill?" he growled.

"I guess 'e don't know what he does want.
He is lonesome and hurt and afraid, an'
 The Rescue 111

sick uf the whole durned war, just like you

and me/'
When they stopped to rest again, Pep
went up to the friendly man and nuzzled his
hand and licked it. Then he turned and
trotted a few rods away and stopped and
looked back at them, whimpering and whin-
ing for them to follow.
"What do you make of 'im, Bill, any-
way?" asked the surly man.
"By gun," cried Bill, springing up, "I 'ev
it. He wants us to follow 'im, 'e has found
some one off yonder who is wounded an' he
wants us to go with 'im. Perhaps it is his
L

master."
Pep barked and wagged his tail. When
the man got up to follow him, he was de-
lighted.
"See 'ere, Bill, you can't leave this 'ere
one. We him out first.
'ev got to get But '
'

luck was with Pep, for another Red Cross

man came along and took Bill's place at the
stretcher and his new friend was free to fol-
low him.
"Now, Perp, " f

said Bill comfortingly.

a You just lead the way an' if there is any-
112 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
thing in this 'ere woods you want me to
know about, I 'm your man. f
Pep went forward eagerly, absolutely sure
of the way. He no longer thought of his
broken or the terrors of the woods. He
leg,
was bringing aid to his master. Twenty
minutes later he led the way into the ravine
and there they found the doctor. He was
lying very still with one hand across his
face. The Eed Cross man thought that he
was dead, but Pep smelled the beloved hand
and saw that it was warm. The Red Cross
man felt for the pulse. It was fairly strong.
"All right, old Perp," he said in a whis-
per " 'E's still alive. Perhaps we'll save
him yet. You just watch here and I will go
after another hand and a stretcher."
So for the second time that night Pep took
up his vigil by his master's side on the edge
of the Argonne forest.
It greatly worried Pep have his master
to
lie so still. He whined piteously and nuzzled
his master's hand, but the hand would not
move.
He seized the canteen in his mouth hoping
that the doctor would throw it that he might
 The Rescue 113

bring it to him as he had done earlier in the

night, but hi^ master made no sign. So
finally the faithfuldog lay down to watch.
He felt sure that the good man would come
back. Something in his voice had reassured
Pep.
At last after about half an hour he heard
footsteps and soon to his great delight two
men appeared with an empty stretcher. Si-
lently they laid the wounded physician on
the stretcher, then lifted their burden and
began slowly carrying it through the thick
woods. Pep limped after them, overjoyed
that help had come at last.
For half an hour they crept forward,
often stopping to rest. At such times Pep
would crowd up close and put a paw on his
master's cheek.
Now that the responsibility had been
partly taken from him, Pep noticed his own
wound more and more. His broken leg was
swelling badly, and once when he caught it
in the underbrush it made him yelp with
pain.
Finally, when they had been traveling
slowly for about an hour, he sank down with
114 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

a doleful howl and could go no further.

" What's the matter with the dog, Bill!"
asked the man ahead. "He seems to have
gone limp."
"I guess he's all in, :,? returned Bill.
"Just set down this stretcher and I will go
back for him." So Bill went back for Pep
and took him up tenderly in his arms.
"What are you going: to do with him now
you have rescued him?" asked the other.
"He's going in the stretcher," returned
Bill decidedly. His companion grumbled
and expostulated against carrying a dog, but
Bill was determined and as usual he had his
own way.
"Why, if it had not been for 'im we would
not have found the doctor at all."
So it came about that Pep had the honor
of riding in a stretcher just like any other
wounded soldier, and that with his beloved
master. He snuggled down under the man 's
arm, and watched the boughs above brush
by. He was so tired and exhausted that for
once he forgot he was a little soldier on
guard and fell asleep, and did not awake
until they reached the road.
 The Rescue 115

"It's all right, old Pup," j

said his friend
Bill. "We've got to the ambulance. You
was the laststraw that nearly broke our
backs. But I am glad we took you. You
are well worth saving."
Bill took his seat in the ambulance close
to Pep's master's head, the motor began
purring and they were off for the long run
to Brest.
Bill did what he could for the doctor, wet-
ting his parched lips and forcing brandy be-
tween his teeth and at last, to the delight
of both man and dog, they saw the surgeon
slowly come to himself.
"Where am I?" he whispered.
"You are all right, safe and sound here
in the ambulance. We will be at the hos-
pital inan hour or two. The dog showed
us where you were." j

The doctor smiled and whispered Pep's

name. He drew the dog close to him and his
hand held one of the terrier's ears gently.
Thus with a deep sigh of satisfaction Pep
again dozed and did not awake until they
reached their journey's end.
 CHAPTER VII
HOMEWARD BOUND

TBANKS to the restoratives given

and the nursing he received while on
him

the journey, the doctor recovered conscious-

ness before they reached the hospital. He
did not seem to care about himself, but gave
very minute directions regarding Pep.
"He stuck by me like a brother and saved
my life, and I want him to have every care
that any wounded soldier would get. I
want his leg put in splints, and the best sur-
geon in the hospital to dress it every day.
You may think he is nothing but a dog, but I
tell you he is a soldier and deserves a sol-
dier's care."
After that the doctor lapsed into silence
and let things take their course. He knew
instinctively that everything would be done
for him, but he was not so sure about Pep.
116
 Homeward Bound 117

Some people appreciated dogs and some

didn't. He did not want any slight put on
his little chum, now they had been through so
much together.
So it was finally arranged that they should
occupy the same ward or, rather, Pep was
;

given a rug to lie on under a small table at

the head of the doctor's bed. He was very
comfortable here so near his beloved master.
The doctor, as he lay drowsing, would
often hear the dog give deep sighs of content
as he settled down in a more comfortable
position on his rug.
The slightest movement on the part of the
doctor would set the dog's tail wagging.
Every hour or so he would go to the bed-
side and reach his head up for a little pet-
ting. Then he would kiss his master 's hand,
and they would tell each other in dog and
man language, which was half sign and half
speech, how much they loved each other.
Every morning when the surgeon made
his rounds, he would speak to Pep and at-
tend to his splints in the presence of his
master. If Pep was feeling especially good,
he would consent to follow the surgeon on
118 Pep: The Story of a Brave Bog

his visit down the ward, stopping critically

at the bedside of each patient, and watching
proceedings narrowly. But he always re-
turned quickly to his master's bedside once
the surgeon had made his rounds. Pep
seemed to think that it was a part of his
duty to look out for the poor soldiers now
that his master could not.
It was a joyous day for Pep when his mas-
ter could finally hobble about the hospital
on two canes. They went from ward to
ward talking and joking with the men.
Everywhere they were greeted as heroes.
The doctor always had to tell the story of
Pep's long, faithful vigil in the woods on
that hideous night. This would make the
soldiers look hard at Pep and stroke his
head and tell him that he was a good old
sport and that they were proud of him.
One day about three weeks after they had
returned to the hospital, the doctor received
a letter from home and he and Pep retired
to a quiet room to read it together.
i
'Here, old pal, you climb up into my lap.
Be careful and don't hurt my leg. I've got
a letter. It's from the little woman."
 Homeward Bound 119

When he had opened the missive and

spread it out, and
the doctor let Pep smell it

from the delighted wags of and a his tail

glad bark that he gave, the physician was
sure that he recognized the scent of his mis-
tress 's hand on the paper.
' '
' It nearly broke her heart, ' explained the
doctor, "to know that both her
soldiers were
wounded. It has taken a great load from
her to receive the second cable, saying that
I am out of danger. She doesn't mind if we
are lame and crippled, if she can only get us
back, Pep." 1

The dog was so excited about the letter

that he constantly nosed and sniffed at it,
so that it was difficult for his master to read
it, but finally the end with worlds of love for
them both was reached.
It was strange, thought the doctor, as he
f olcled the letter and put it away, how this
bit of paper had moved him. He had been
through so much since coming to France,
that he was not quite himself, but there was
another consideration also. He had come
so near to losing everything there in the Ar~
gonne Forest that life and home and loved
120 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

ones had become doubly dear. He bad often

seen strong men weep like babies when they
received letters from home. It had seemed
strange to him that they should be so moved,
but now he understood.
Two weeks more at the hospital went by
and both master and dog improved rapidly.
Finally the doctor was able to give up one
cane, while Pep had his splint removed and
his master declared that he would soon be as
good as new.
It was about that time the division general
visited the hospital. He brought with him
the government's reward for bravery. In
the presence of the superintendent of the
hospital, hepinned a cross for distinguished
service on Pep's master's coat.
"I wouldn't be here at all to receive the
cross, general," said the delighted surgeon,
"if it had not been for that dog.
'
The gen-
'

eral asked for Pep's story and the doctor

told it.

"Wish I had a handful of crosses for

dogs," said the general at the conclusion of
the story. "I would certainly give him one.
Here is some money. Get him the finest
 Homeward Bound 121

money can buy and mark it from

collar that
General Blank, as a mark of his apprecia-
tion of distinguished service.^
With these words the general shook the
doctor's hand, and after stroking Pep's
head went on his way, carrying cheer to the
deserving soldiers in the hospital. As he
went from ward to ward, he felt that all
were deserving of the little crosses, but some
were luckier than others.
The next day the doctor and Pep went out
shopping and bought the best collar to be
found in the city and had it engraved as
the General had directed. When they re-
turned, Pep went through the wards exhib-
iting his collar. He was a very proud dog.
Of course he did not just know what it was
all about, but he felt quite sure that he had
done something fine, and that these good
men all knew it. So if wagging of his tail
would show his appreciation, he certainly
expressed his own feeling on the whole
matter.
After two more pleasant weeks at the hos-
pital they were discharged and the doctor
packed up his earthly belongings, which
122 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog
were few, and made ready to sail. The
great ship on which they had come across
was loading in the harbor and they did not
intend to get left.
So one evening they made a final round of
the wards and said good-by to all their
friends. Then they were spirited away to
the wharf in a taxicab.
They should have gone like heroes, with
bands playing and flags flying, but the exi-
gencies of war forbade such publicity. In-
stead they went in the dead of night, with
lights all out so that they could not even see
Old Glory at the masthead. Thus they
slipped out of the harbor into the broad
Atlantic.
Whenthe sun came up the following
morning, the great ship was far out at sea.
It was a wonderful morning of blue sky
and rolling billows and fresh wind. The
entire scene suggested nothing but peace.
And best of all, the ship was homeward
bound. Home, home, home, sang the waves
as they slipped under the bow, and the winds
sang home in the rigging. But the weary
 Homeward Bound 123

hearts of the passengers sang home louder

than the winds or the waves.
Probably the two most entirely happy pas-
sengers on the ship were Pep and the doctor
as they walked on the hurricane deck and
watched the waves and the sky.
There were no other passengers on the
deck and the doctor talked to Pep as was
his wont when they were alone, and the dog,
delighted with this confidence, cocked his
ears and listened intently to catch every
word.
"It's a great thing, Pep, old sport, to be
alive afterwhat we have gone through."
"That's so," wagged Pep.
"Those Boches nearly got us both, old Pal,
but we finally gave them the slip."
"So we did," sniffed the dog.
"Do you know we are going home to the
woman, Pep? Home, Pep, home.
little

We are going home."

The dog saw that a climax in their joy had
been reached so he barked gladly, at which
the doctor laughed like a boy.
It was just at this point in their confi-
124 Pep: The Story of a Brave Dog

dential conversation that Hilda and her

father came on deck. The doctor, who had
not known that they were aboard, greeted
them joyously, while Pep fairly wagged
his tail off at the sight of his little playmate.
Soon the two were racing up and down the
deck in the finest kind of a romp. This was
after Hilda had heard the story of Pep's
bravery and spelled out the inscription on
his new collar.
"Come, Pep," said Hilda. "Let's you
and I sit here on this steamer rug and visit
while our fathers talk and smoke. I mean
while my father and your master visit. I
haven't hurt your feelings by saying he was
not your father, have I?" inquired Hilda.
"I wouldn't hurt the feelings of such a brave
dog for the whole world."
Pep assured her with several warm dog
kisses upon her hand that his feelings
were not hurt and she once more read the in-
scription on the collar.
"I'm awfully proud of you, Pep," said
Hilda. You are as brave as a soldier. Do
' i

you know I always remember you in my

prayers? That is because you saved my
 Homeward Bound 125

life. I say, 'Please, God, keep Pep and

"
give him lots of bones to eat/
The terrier wagged his appreciation. Of
course he did not know what she was saying,
but he knew it was something good, and he
must remember his manners and be appreci-
ative. So he wagged his tail and kissed her
hand and rubbed his cheek against hers.
"I think very best morning I
this is the
ever saw," said Hilda with a sigh of perfect
rapture.
"So do I," agreed Pep with a short, glad
bark.
"Let's be friends always," said Hilda,
hugging the dog to her breast.
"All right," sniffed Pep, showering her
hand with dog kisses, "forever and forever."

THE END