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morning," he said.

  "But like you, I haven't been able to get near him."

  "Yes, it's st range. He's obviously friendly, yet he's afraid. I

  wonder who owns him."

  "I reckon he's a stray, Mr Herriot. I'm interested in dogs myself and

  I fancy I know just about all of them around here. But this 'un's a st

  ranger to me."

  I nodded.

  "I bet you're right. So anything could have happened to him. He could

  have been ill-treated by somebody and run away, or he could have been

  dumped from a car."

  "Yes," he replied 'there's some lovely people around. It beats me how

  anybody can leave a helpless animal to fend for itself like that. I've

  had a few goes at catching him myself but it's no good."

  The memory stayed with me for the rest of the day and even when I lay

  in bed that night I was unable to dispel the disturbing image of the

  little brown i. creature wandering in a st range world, sit ting up

  asking for help in the only ~ way he knew.

  little brown sheepdog, but there's a touch of ~_ I was still a bachelor

  at that time and on the Friday night of the same w Siegfried and I were

  arraying ourselves in evening dress in preparation for Hunt Ball at

  East Hirdsley, about ten miles away.

  It was a tortuous business because those were the days of starched

  shirt fronts' and stiff high collars and I kept hearing explosions of

  colourful language from Siegfried's room as he wrestled with his

  studs.

  I was in an even worse plight because I had outgrown my suit and even

  when I had managed to secure the st rangling collar I had to fight my

  way into dinner jacket which nipped me cruelly under the arms. I had

  just managed don the complete outfit and was trying out a few careful

  breaths when the phone.

  rang.

  It was the same young policeman I had been speaking to earlier in the

  we "We've got that dog round here, Mr Herriot. You know the one that

  begging in the market place."

  "Oh yes? Somebody's managed to catch him then?"

  There was a pause.

  "No, not really. One of our men found him Lying by roadside about a

  mile out of town and brought him in. He's been in an accident' I told

  Siegfried. He looked at his watch.

  "Always happens, doesn't it, Jam Just when we're ready to go out. It's

  nine o'clock now and we should be on e way." He thought for a

  moment.

  "Anyway, slip round there and have a look a I'll wait for you. It

  would be better if we could go to this affair together."

  As I drove round to the Police Station I hoped fervently that there

  would be much to do. This Hunt Ball meant a lot to my boss because it

  would b' gather ing of the horse-loving fraternity of the district and

  he would have a wonderful time just chatting and drinking with so many

  kindred spirits e' though he hardly danced at all. Also, he

  maintained, it was good for business to meet the clients socially.

  The kennels were at the bottom of a yard behind the Station and the

  policeman led me down and opened one of the doors. The little dog was

  Lying very still under the single electric bulb and when I bent and

  stroked the brown coat I tail stirred briefly among the straw of his

  bed.

  "He can still manage a way, anyway," I said.

  The policeman nodded.

  "Aye, there's no doubt he's a good-natured little thing I tried to

  examine him as much as possible without touching. I didn't want to

  hurt him and there was no saying what the extent of his injuries might

  But even at a glance cert ain things were obvious; he had multiple

  lacerations one hind leg was crooked in the unmistakable posture of a

  fracture and there.

  was blood on his lips.

  This could be from damaged teeth and I gently raised the head with a

  vie to loo king into his mouth. He was Lying on his right side and as

  the head cad.

  round it was as though somebody had struck me in the face.

  The right eye had been violently dislodged from its socket and it

  spouted like some hideous growth from above the cheek bone, a great

  glistening orb with t eyelids tucked behind the white expanse of

  sclera.

  I seemed to squat there for a long time, stunned by the obscenity, and

  as seconds dragged by I looked into the little dog's face and he looked

  back at me.

  - trustingly from one soft brown eye, glaring meaninglessly from the

  grotesque ball on the other side. '~ The policeman's voice broke my

  thoughts.

  "He's a mess, isn't he?" )~ "Yes ... yes ... must have been struck by

  some vehicle maybe dragged.

  along by the look of all those wounds." ~ "What d'you think, Mr Her

  riot?" -~l I knew what he meant. It was the sensible shine to ease

  this lost unwa.

  creature from the world. He was grievously hurt and he didn't seem to

  b. l ver tn a ~pin to anybody A quick overdose of anaesthetic his

  troubles would be over and I'd be on my way to the dance.

  But the policeman didn't say anything of the sort. Maybe, like me, he

  was loo king into the soft depths of that one trusting eye.

  I stood up quickly.

  "Can I use your phone?"

  At the other end of the line Siegfried's voice crackled with

  impatience.

  "Hell JameS, it's half-past nine! If we're going to this thing we've

  got to go now or we might as well not bother. A stray dog, badly

  injured. Ii doesn't sound such a great problem."

  "I know, Siegfried. I'm sorry to hold you up but I can't make up my

  mind.

  I wish you'd come round and tell me what you think."

  There was a silence then a long sigh.

  "All right, James. See you in five minutes."

  He created a slight stir as he entered the Station. Even in his casual

  working clothes Siegfried al ways managed to look distinguished, but as

  he swept into the station newly bathed and shaved, a camel coat thrown

  over the sparkling white shirt and black tie there was something ducal

  about him.

  He drew respectful glances from the men sit ting around, then my young

  policeman stepped forward.

  "This way, sir' he said, and we went back to the kennels.

  Siegfried was silent as he crouched over the dog, loo king him over as

  I had done without touching him. Then he carefully raised the head and

  the monstrous eye glared.

  "My God!" he said softly, and at the sound of his voice the long

  fringed tail moved along the ground.

  For a few seconds he stayed very still loo king fixedly at the dog's

  face while in the silence, the whisking tail rustled the straw.

  Then he straightened up.

  "Let's get him round there," he murmured.

  In the surgery we anaesthetised the little animal and as he lay

  unconscious on the table we were able to examine him thoroughly. After

  a few minutes Siegfried stuffed his stethoscope into the pocket of his

  white coat and leaned both hands on the table.

  "Luxated eyeball, fractured femur, umpteen deep lacerations, broken

  claws.

  There's enough here to keep us going til