It was near Christmas, some years ago, and the River Murray was in flood. Near its banks was a farmhouse where two children were talking to their mother, Mrs. Lett.
"But Pincher is such a quick dog, mother," said Tom.
"You should see him catch rabbits."
"And he"s such a darling, even if he does sometimes make the parlour a little muddy," added Mary. " Please, mother, do let us keep him for good."But Mrs. Lett was not to be moved by her children"s pleading. She was a very tidy woman, and liked to have her house spotlessly clean. The dog, she said, was ugly and dirty, and it was not worth the five shillings a year which was the tax the council demanded for each dog kept in the district. Only the day before, Pincher had come into the parlour and left marks of his muddy paws on the couch; so Mrs. Lett had set her heart against the dog.
"Give him away, or lose him, or I shall find some way of getting rid of him to-morrow," said Mrs. Lett, rather sharply. "Now, go out and play, as I want to get on with my house-cleaning; for next week it will be Christmas."So the children and the dog left the house-the children looking very sad, and Pincher wagging his tail joyfully, quite unaware that their parting was likely to be very near.
Pincher was certainly far from being a pretty dog. His coat, which was of a yellow colour, was rough and untidy. His tail had an ugly twist in it. The only point about him that would please a dog-fancier was his intelligent eyes. They looked as bright as gold and as true as steel. He had been on the farm for about three weeks, and had come without a collar and looking half-starved. The children had given him food and water; and he seemed to say that he liked the place, and there he was going to stay. No one knew who had been his owner, though Mrs. Lett was certain it was not a person who spent much time in teaching him manners.
"Dear old Loving Eyes," said Mary, patting him, whileher own eyes filled with tears, "we can"t let you go."" No," said Tom, " we must hide Pincher somewhere until mother forgets her grudge against him."The two children talked earnestly about what they would do. Of one thing they were certain- none of their neighbours would take Pincher. Except Tom and Mary, the dog had no friend in the wide world, and "nobody"s dog" has always had a hard time of it.
"I know," said Tom, "what we can do. We"ll keep the dear old dog over on the island. I"ll row him across; andwe"ll make the old shed comfortable for him. We can take him food every day; and he certainly will not be short of water while the flood is coming down."The island was a strip of land about a mile from the house, up the river. It was low land, not more than twenty yards wide, and perhaps three-quarters of a mile long. On it was an old shed, built, years before by men who were carrying out a work on the river.
"Now, Mary," Tom went on to say, "you go to the kitchen, and try to coax Nancy to give you some sandwiches and cakes. Tell her we are having a picnic, and will not be home until dark. Then meet me under the willows, where I shall have the boat ready. Pincher will stay with me." Nancy was a kind-hearted young woman who helped Mrs. Lett with the housework.
Mary soon returned with a basket of lunch; and she and Pincher got on board the boat. Tom rowed them up the stream and across to the island. When they had landed, Tom pulled the light boat up on the low shore; and then they went to look at the shed. Its roof was damaged; but Tom, who had brought a hammer and nails, soon repaired it.
While Tom and Mary were working. Pincher was exploring the island on which (so the children thought) he was to live like Robinson Crusoe. Thousands of birdsroosted in the bamboos and willows that covered most of the narrow land. On the shore, turtles were often stranded; in the long grass were frogs and snakes. Pincher would have plenty to do to keep all these creatures in order if he were to be king of the island.
The children were so busy with their work that they did not notice that a thunderstorm was coming. All the day, dark clouds to the northward had been showing that heavy rain was falling not far away. Now the storm had come down the river, and it broke over the island.
A dazzling flash of lightning, followed quickly by a clap of thunder, told the children to go into the hut. Pincher ran to the same shelter; for, however brave he was against living enemies, he was, like most dogs, very much afraid of a thunderstorm. Then the rain poured down in torrents, so that the children in the low shed could hardly hear themselves speak.
Tom, glancing through the open doorway, saw the river was rising. Then he thought of the boat, which he had pulled up on the shore. Rushing out in the pouring rain, he soon returned with a very pale face to the shed, as if he had seen something outside that was not at all to his liking.
"What"s the matter, Tom?" said Mary. " You look scared.
What have you seen?"
"The matter is that our boat has been swept away, andour island is nearly covered with water. Unless we get help soon we shall be drowned."Perhaps Mary did not understand the danger that was before them; or maybe she wished to keep up Tom"s spirits, for she only laughed and said: " What fun! We shall be like shipwrecked sailors on a desert island. It is lucky that we have some rations for me to serve out. You, Tom, can hoist your handkerchief on a pole as a signal of distress.""What can I do to get us out of this fix?" Tom said to himself; and then he looked down at Pincher, who was wagging his tail, in spite of his being wet. "I know," said Tom. " Pincher, old fellow, you must save us by swimming across to the farm and telling them that we need help."But Pincher was unwilling to face the flooded river, he could not be coaxed to enter it; so Tom took up the dog, and, with all his strength, threw him into the current. The children watched him sink for a moment and then rise to the surface. Poor old Pincher tried hard to paddle back to the island; but Tom kept on throwing sticks and stones at him to head him off to the opposite bank.
For a while it seemed that the dog would never reach the other side; but at last the swift-rolling waters carried him to a point of land jutting out into the river. He managed to get a footing; and, to their great joy, the children saw him crawl up the bank and make his way towards the farm.
When Pincher reached the garden, he met Mr. Lett, who was searching for his missing children.
"Good old Pincher," said Mr. Lett, " where are Tom and Mary?""Bow-wow!" replied Pincher, wagging his tail. "Good dog, show me them," replied Mr. Lett.
"Bow-wow, bow-wow!" was Pincher"s answer as heturned towards the river.
In a few minutes Mr. Lett, following the dog, had reached the flooded river. Then he saw the children on the island waving their hands and shouting-although he could not hear them-for help.
It was nearly two hours later before they were rescued. Mr. Lett had to go a mile up stream, borrow a boat, and then, with the help of two other men, row to the island. It was a hard and dangerous task. Before the children were rescued they had climbed to the lower branches of a tree near the shed, to be out of the rising water.
That evening, the children sat near the fire in the dining- room. They were well wrapped up in warm rugs, and were sipping warm milk. Mrs. Lett was bustling about, and, as she stepped over Pincher asleep near the fire, she was heard to say, " You blessed old dog, you"ve saved my children."Then the two children glanced at each other andwhispered, "Mother will find room for Pincher now. He willnot be sent away to-morrow."
From The Children"s Hour, South Australia
Author.-The Children"s Hour of South Australia was the first State- school paper to appear in Australia. The next was The School Paper of Victoria.
General Notes.-With a map in front of you, trace the course of the River Murray. Its floods are caused every year by the melting of snows in the mountains near its source. What persons are mentioned in this story, not forgetting the dog? The islands along the Murray are enclosed between the main stream and anabranches or billabongs. Write or tell any other story you know of life-saving by dogs.