CHAPTER XVII -- Wonderful Work
Absolute hush followed the exclamation of young Burton and, as all wereintently listening, there sounded through the soft stillness of thenight a strange, piercing cry,--the baying of a bloodhound following thetrail of a person. It was neither a bark nor a growl, but a mixture ofthe two,--a deep howl that might well fill a fleeing fugitive withshivering fear.
"That's Zip," said his pleased owner; "he will be here in a fewminutes."
"He has a remarkable voice," said Scout Master Hall; "I never heard thelike."
Mike Murphy, who had been one of the most absorbed of listeners and wasseated near the guest, rose to his feet and emitted a cry which, so faras the listeners could tell, was an absolutely perfect imitation of thatof the dog.
"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Burton; "it would deceive any one exceptthe dog himself."
"And why not him?" asked Alvin Landon.
"Because he does not answer--there he comes!"
In the dim moonlight, as every eye was turned in the direction of thebeach leading toward Uncle Elk's cabin, the Scouts saw a black, mediumsized dog approaching at full speed, his sturdy figure rapidly assumingdefinite form. It was to be noted that Burton had come through the wooditself, whereas the animal was traversing the beach, where the way wasmore open, yet he was keeping to the trail as unerringly as an arrowdriven from the bow.
"Hide yourself," whispered Mr. Hall.
"There is no place where I can hide from him."
The next instant the hound with undiminished speed bounded up the stepsat the end of the porch, dashed between the boys, and impinged with suchforce against his standing master that he was knocked backward for apace or two. Bending over, Burton patted the big head, and Zip in hisexcess of delight bounded round the youth and wagged his tail so hardthat it swayed his haunches correspondingly, and it really seemed aninstance of the tail wagging the dog.
"Don't you think Zip will appreciate something in the form of a meal?"asked Mr. Hall.
"He certainly will; a dog is always hungry, and more than half a day haspassed since he ate; nothing suits him better than raw meat."
"We have a supply, and he shall feast to his heart's content."
So he did, the food being brought out and placed in front of the canineguest, who would have eaten a good deal more had his master permitted.Meekly accepting the decision, Zip lay down at young Burton's feet,contented and happy throughout the remainder of the evening, and glad tostay outside until the youth rejoined him in the morning.
"You know what matchless policemen the Belgian dogs make in thatcountry, in France, and in New York and other cities. Some three yearsago Long Island became so pestered by thieves that Robert E. Kerkham,superintendent of the railway police, saw that something drastic had tobe done. The thieves dynamited station safes, burglarized privatedwellings and more than once killed and injured railway policemen whilethey were trying to arrest the criminals. Those men used fleet horsesand automobiles, and despite everything that could be done, grew bolderand more successful.
"Superintendent Kerkham, finding that his patrolmen were powerless,decided to call in the help of dogs, with whose striking success abroadand at home he was familiar, but he made a new departure by takingbloodhounds instead of the usual police dogs, for the former would notonly guard property but would track the thieves. He bought a pair fromthe stock imported from England more than twenty years ago. These are ofthe purest blood, and superior to all others. Zip is from the samestock. A peculiarity of this dog is that in no circumstances will hetake up a doubtful trail, but will pick up the true scent, no matter howfaint, and never abandon it so long as it actually exists. They know notthe meaning of fear, and will stick to their work so long as they canmove or breathe. Some of those dogs have pedigrees that reach backwardto the time of William the Conqueror.
"The couple which Mr. Kerkham purchased are named Bob and Nellie. Theyhad to be trained, but they learned fast. They will take the scent fromany article that has been lately handled by the person they are after."
"How old a trail will serve them?" asked the Scout Master.
"Of course the freshest scent is the best. Zip was all of seven hoursbehind me to-day. I have tested him on double that time and he seemed tohave little or no difficulty. They have taken a trail twenty-four hoursold, and precisely what it is that guides them in such a case is morethan any one can understand. A man is known to have left a house at acertain time, and twenty hours later it is decided to pursue him withthe aid of a bloodhound. A glove, or hat, or shoe that he is known tohave worn is held in front of the dog; he sniffs at it, dashes out ofdoors, circles back and forth and around the grounds until he strikesthe corresponding scent; up goes his head, his tail wags and he bays hispleasure. A hundred yards farther, and he drops his nose to the groundto make sure he has not lost his clue.
"Perhaps the scent grows faint or disappears. In that case he runs backand circles about until he picks it up again, when he is off once more.You must remember that while all this is going on there is a man tuggingat the leash, for this is necessary to protect the thief. As the trailgrows fresher, the fierce eagerness of the hound increases; he knows heis close upon his quarry and sharp words and powerful pulling arenecessary to prevent him from bounding straight at the throat of thecowering wretch. Should he start to run it is almost impossible torestrain the dog, but when he sees the criminal is under arrest, he issatisfied, becomes quiet, and is ready to tackle the next job."
"Will you tell us of some of the exploits of Bob and Nellie, who you sayare perfect specimens of their kind?"
"I cannot recall a quarter of them. One thing that Bob did wasastonishing because it was at the beginning of his training and thescent was fourteen hours old. He caught it from a bag which the thieveshad used to wrap about their hands in breaking a window. As true as theneedle to the pole, Bob led his master through alleys and side streets,across vacant lots, along the purlieus of a straggling village to ahouse near the highway. This was circled once, and then he dashed to abarn at the rear, through the open door, and sprang at a young man whowas engaged in skinning a muskrat he had trapped.
"The fellow was indignant and denied all knowledge of the crime,declaring that he did not know where the freight house was located, butBob's trainer was certain the dog was right, and searched the place. Allthe missing property was found in a trunk, and the thief is now in SingSing, convicted on the testimony of the dog.
"Last summer a farmer in Kansas was murdered and a pack of hounds wereput on the trail. They led the trainers and officers through a brokencountry for six miles, never hesitating or turning aside for a minute,until they reached a house where a man lived who had never beensuspected. He was arrested, corroborative evidence obtained, and he wasconvicted by the Supreme Court of the state and executed.
"One night the safe of the Hicksville station on the Long IslandRailroad was blown open and the contents stolen. Three of the dogs werebrought up the next day a little before noon and put on the trail, abouttwelve hours after the robbery had been committed."
"It seems to me," remarked Scout Master Hall, "that in all such casesthe hounds are very liable to blunder."
"Why?"
"There must be a good many tracks about the premises; how can theydifferentiate those of the thieves?"
"They took the scent without the least difficulty from the windowthrough which the robbers had entered and from the articles they hadhandled. Tugging at their leashes, the hounds led their masters up therailway track for an eighth of a mile, and then turned off across theopen country to the trolley track, which they followed to the next stop,where the trail ended. Inquiries brought out the fact that the car hadstopped there about midnight,--something which it rarely did. Havingboarded it, the thieves made their escape, and that became one of thefew instances in which the skill of the bloodhounds came to naught.
"But the dogs were not allowed to rust for want of work. Long Islandgave them plenty to
do, and continues to do so. When word came toheadquarters that the station at Warwick Street on the Atlantic Divisionof the railway had been broken into and robbed, the dogs were put on thejob with the least possible delay. They found the trail without trouble,and skurried down Atlantic Avenue to Logan Street, where the canineshalted for consultation, since they had to face new conditions.
"These wonderful brutes had been instant to detect that two thieves wereconcerned in the crime. At the point named, the trail divided, and ofcourse the pursuers did the same. Our old friend Bob trotted along untilhe reached No. 129, where he sat down, threw up his head and beganhowling. Jim, the other dog, kept on to No. 219, where he joined in thedismal chorus. The two were on the same side of the street, not very farapart, and must have made a striking picture, as from their differentstations they serenaded some persons within. I can't help wondering,"added young Burton with a laugh, "whether the thieves noticed thathowling, and peeping out of the windows suspected what it meant.
"The trainers thought it possible a mistake had been made, and the dogswere taken back to the station and given the scent again. They followedit as unerringly as before, but oddly enough when they came to theforking of the trail, Bob and Jim changed places. It was as if one hadproposed the shift to the other, who accepted it offhand.
"Doubting no longer, the officers arrested a schoolboy in each house,whom the dogs identified. They confessed their guilt, and one was sentto the Juvenile Asylum at Dobbs Ferry and the other to the ElmiraReformatory.
"Now," said Burton, whose enthusiasm was natural, "can any oneunderstand what it is that guides the bloodhound? Of course it is somesort of emanation, but how subtle it must be, and how fine the sensethat can identify it among scores of others! In the incident I have justrelated, the trail led through busy streets, where hundreds of men,women and animals had trodden upon the invisible footprints, each withhis or her peculiar odor, which lingered for hours, and was as distinctto the dogs as the call of a megaphone is to us. It is beyond mycomprehension."
"It is beyond the comprehension of any one," added Mr. Hall. "Bertillonhas proved that the thumb prints of no two persons are the same, and sothe scent of every one has a peculiarity of its own, but that doesn'tlessen our wonder.
"There is no end to the proofs that have been given of their miraculouspower."
"The dogs, I suppose, seem to enjoy tracking a criminal?"
"It is their delight. Although not credited with a high order ofintelligence, they know as well as their trainers what is expected ofthem, and enter into it with as much gusto as you boys do yourvacation."
"Is a criminal when overtaken by the dogs in danger of being hurt bythem?"
"It depends upon himself. If he continues to run and puts up a fightthey will attack him. If he quietly submits, they will mount guard andhold him unharmed until their master comes up and takes the criminalinto custody. Then the dogs, seeing that that particular task isfinished, show by their behavior that they are as eager as ever fortheir next job. But, for safety's sake, they are generally held inleash, master and dog keeping company."
"How is it with Zip?"
"He always runs free, and will not harm a fugitive unless ordered to doso. You understand that he and I are chums, and I have never used him tochase a criminal. He roams through the country, and I keep him on edgeby such tests as to-day. He is so familiar with my scent that he willpick it up instantly, without first sniffing articles I have worn. Theother day I played a mean trick on him. I left him at the Samoset Houseon Mouse Island and started for Boothbay Harbor on the steamer_Wiwurna_, but instead of getting off at the wharf, I slipped over thegunwale at the rear, and Captain Free McKown took me on board his motorboat _Edith_ which was lying near, and started back to Mouse Island withme. Just before reaching the dock I met the _Norman II_ starting forBoothbay and seated on his haunches at the prow was Zip. I was notexpecting to see him and I should have got out of sight, but hediscovered me and emitted the most dissatisfied howl I ever heard. Itsaid as plain as so many words, 'You played me a low down trick, and Idon't like it.' He would have sprung overboard and tried to swim to me,had I not forbidden him. Perforce he went on to Boothbay and came backon the _Norman II_. I was in my room when he scratched on my door and Iadmitted him. He was so mad that he refused to eat the meat prepared forhim, and pouted the rest of the day. I apologized and coaxed, and bynight had won back his favor and the cloud between us passed away."