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When I was a boy, my grandfather frequently told a story concerning a dog which he knew, as an example of true fidelity. This animal was a mastiff that belonged to a friend, Mr. Prideaux, to whom it was a constant companion.
Whenever Mr. Prideaux went out for a walk, Turk was sure to be near his heels. Street dogs would bark and snarl at the giant as his massive form attracted their attention, but Turk seldom noticed them. At night he slept outside his master’s door, and no sentry could be more alert upon his watch than the faithful dog.
One day Mr. Prideaux had a dinner party. The dog Turk was present,and stretched his huge form upon the hearthrug. It was a cold night in winter, and Mr. Prideaux’s friends after dinner began to discuss the subject of dogs. Almost every person had an anecdote to relate, and my own grandfather, being present, had no doubt added his mite to the collection, when Turk suddenly awoke from a sound sleep, and having stretched himself, walked up to his master’s side and rested his large head upon the table.
“Ha, ha, Turk!” exclaimed Mr. Prideaux, “you must have heard our arguments about the dogs, so you have put in an appearance.”
“And a magnificent animal he is!” remarked my grandfather; “but although a mastiff is the largest of dogs, I do not think it is as sensible as many others.”
“As a rule you are right,” replied his master, “because they are generally chained up as watch-dogs, and have not the intimate association with human beings which is so great an advantage to house-dogs; but Turk has been my constant companion from the first month of his life, and his intelligence is very remarkable. He understands most things that I say, if they are connected with himself; he will often lie upon the rug with his large eyes fixed upon me, and he will frequently become aware that I wish to go out; at such times he will fetch my hat, cane, or gloves, whichever may be at hand, and wait for me at the front door. He will take a letter to several houses of my acquaintance, and wait for a reply; and he can perform a variety of actions that would imply a share of reason seldom possessed by other dogs.”
A smile upon several faces was at once noticed by Mr. Prideaux,who immediately took a guinea from his pocket, and said to his dog,“Here,Turk! They won’t believe in you! Take this guinea to No.—Street,to Mr.—, and bring me a receipt.”
The dog wagged his huge tail with pleasure, and the guinea having been placed in his mouth, he hastened toward the door; this being opened, he was admitted through the front entrance to the street. It was a miserable night. The wind was blowing the sleet and rain against the windows, and the gutters were running with muddy water; nevertheless,Turk had started upon his mission in the howling gale, while the front door was once more closed against the blast.
The party were comfortably seated around the fire, much interested in the success or failure of the dog’s adventure.
“How long will it be before we may expect Turk’s return?” inquired a guest.
“The house to which I have sent him is about a mile and a half distant;therefore, if there is no delay when he barks for admission at the door,and my friend is not absent from home, he should return in about threequarters of an hour with a receipt. If, on the other hand, he cannot gain admission, he may wait for any length of time,” replied his master.
Some among the company supported the dog’s chances of success,while others were against him. The evening wore away; the allotted time was exceeded, and a whole hour had passed, but no dog had returned.Nevertheless, his master was still hopeful.
“I must tell you,” said Mr. Prideaux, “that Turk frequently carries notes for me, and as he knows the house well, he certainly will not make a mistake; perhaps my friend may be dining out, in which case Turk will probably wait for a longer time.”
Two hours passed; the storm was raging. Mr. Prideaux himself went to the front door, which flew open before a fierce gust the instant that the lock was turned. The gutters were clogged with masses of half-melted snow. “Poor Turk!” muttered his master, “this is indeed a wretched night for you. Perhaps they have kept you in the warm kitchen, and will not allow you to return in such fearful weather.”
When Mr. Prideaux returned to his guests, he could not conceal his disappointment. “Ha!” exclaimed one, “with a guinea in his mouth, he has probably gone into some house of entertainment where dogs are supplied with dinner and a warm bed, instead of shivering in a winter’s gale!”
Jokes were made at the absent dog’s expense, but his master was anxious and annoyed. Poor Turk’s reputation had suffered severely.
It was long past midnight; the guests had departed, the storm was raging, and violent gusts occasionally shook the house. Mr. Prideaux was alone in his study, and he poked the fire until it blazed and roared up the chimney.
“What can have become of that dog?” exclaimed his master to himself,now really anxious; “I hope they kept him; most likely they would not send him back upon such a dreadful night.”
Mr. Prideaux’s study was close to the front door, and his attention was suddenly directed to a violent shaking and scratching. In an instant he ran into the hall and unlocked the entrance door. A mass of filth and mud entered. This was Turk!
The dog was shivering with wet and cold. His usually clean coat was thick with mire, as though he had been dragged through deep mud. He wagged his tail when he heard his master’s voice, but appeared dejected and ill. The dog was taken downstairs, and immediately placed in a large tub of hot water, in which he was accustomed to be bathed. It was now discovered that in addition to mud and dirt, which almost concealed his coat, he was besmeared with blood! Mr. Prideaux sponged his favorite with warm water, and, to his surprise, he saw wounds of a serious nature;the dog’s throat was badly torn, his back and breast were deeply bitten,and there could be no doubt that he had been worried by a pack of dogs.
He was now washed clean, and was being rubbed dry with a thick towel while he stood upon a blanket before the fire. “Why, Turk, old boy,what has been the matter? Tell us all about it, poor old man!” exclaimed his master.
The dog was now thoroughly warmed and he panted with the heat of the kitchen fire; he opened his mouth, and the guinea which he hadreceived in trust dropped on the kitchen floo!
“There is some mystery in this,” said Mr. Prideaux, “which I will try to discover tomorrow. He has been set upon by strange dogs, and rather than lose the guinea, he has allowed himself to be half killed without once opening his mouth in self-defense! Poor Turk!” continued his master, “you must have lost your way, old man, in the darkness and storm; most likely confused after the unequal fight. What an example you have given us in being faithful to a trust!”
Turk was wonderfully better after his warm bath. He lapped up a large bowl of good thick soup mixed with bread, and in half an hour was comfortably asleep upon his thick rug by his master’s bedroom door.
Upon the following morning the storm had cleared away, and a bright sky had succeeded to the gloom of the preceding night. Immediately after breakfast Mr. Prideaux, accompanied by his dog (which was,although rather stiff, not much the worse for the rough treatment he had received), started for a walk toward the house to which he had directed Turk upon the previous evening. He was anxious to discover whether his friend had been absent, as he believed that the dog might have been waiting for admittance, and had been perhaps attacked by some dogs in the neighborhood.
The master and Turk had walked for nearly a mile, and had just turned the corner of a street, when, as they passed a butcher’s shop, a large brindled mastiff rushed from the shop-door and flew at Turk.
“Call your dog off!” shouted Mr. Prideaux to the butcher, who watched the attack with impudent satisfaction. “Call him off, or my dog will kill him!” continued Mr. Prideaux.
The usually docile Turk had rushed to meet his assailant with a fury that was extraordinary. With a growl like that of a lion he quickly seized his foe by the throat, and in a fierce struggle of only a few seconds he threw the brindled dog upon his back. It was in vain that Mr. Prideaux tried to call him off; he never for an instant relaxed his hold, but with the strength of a wild beast of prey Turk shook the head of the butcher’s dog to the right and left. The butcher attempted to interfere and lashed him with a huge whip.
“Stand clear! fair play! Don’t you strike my dog!” shouted Mr.Prideaux. “Your dog was the first to attack!” Mr. Prideaux seized Turk by his collar, while the butcher was endeavoring to release his dog from the deadly grip.
At length Mr. Prideaux’s voice and action appeared for a moment to create a calm, and he held back his dog.
Turk’s flanks were heaving with the intense exertion and excitement of the fight, and he strained to escape from his master’s hold to attack once more his enemy. At length, by kind words and the caress of the wellknown hand, his fury was calmed down.
“Well, that’s the most curious adventure I’ve ever had with a dog!”exclaimed the butcher, who was now completely crestfallen. “Why, that’s the very dog! That’s the very dog that came by my shop late last night in the howling storm, and my dog Tiger went at him and tousled him up completely. I never saw such a cowardly cur; he wouldn’t show any fight,although he was pretty near as big as a donkey; and there my dog Tiger nearly ate half of him, and dragged the other half about the gutter, till he looked more like an old door-mat than a dog; and I thought he must have killed him; and here he comes out as fresh as paint today.”
“What do you say?” asked Mr. Prideaux. “Was it your dog that worried my poor dog last night, when he was upon a message of trust?My friend, let me inform you of the fact that my dog had a guinea in hismouth to carry to my friend, and rather than drop it, he allowed himself to be half killed by your savage Tiger. Today he has proved his courage,and your dog has discovered his mistake. This is the guinea that he dropped from his mouth when he returned to me after midnight, beaten and distressed!” said Mr. Prideaux, much excited. “Here, Turk, old boy,take the guinea again, and come along with me! You have had your revenge, and have given us all a lesson.” His master gave him the guinea in his mouth, and they continued their walk.
It appeared, upon Mr. Prideaux’s arrival at his friend’s house, that Turk had never been there; probably after his defeat he had become so confused that he lost his way in the heavy storm, and had at length regained the road home some time after midnight, in the condition already described.
( Samuel White Baker )
Samuel White Baker (1821-1893) was an English engineer and author.At the age of twenty-four he went to Ceylon, where he soon became known as an explorer and hunter of big game. With his wife he later explored the region of the Nile River. He is the author of True Tales for My Grandsons, from which “Turk, the Faithful Dog” is taken.
alert : quick to realize what is happening
dejected : sad or depressed
docile : easily taught or managed
crestfallen : sad, dispirited
A) Answer the following questions.
1) How does this story prove the intelligence of Turk?
2) How does it prove his fidelity
3) Do you think that most men would act as bravely or faithfully as Turk? Why or why not?
4) What do you know about the author?
5) Why was the butcher surprised at Turk’s behaviour when he was attacked by the second mastiff?
B) Descriptions—Adjectives are words that give description. Circle adjectives from the list that accurately describe Turk.
C) Summary—Write a short summary for this story.