574

APPENDIX.

The dogs of St. Bernard, which are em-ployed to find travellers lost in the snow,possess a wonderful sagacity, an instincttruly astonishing. Not only do they scentbodies buried deep beneath an avalange,but they will seize them by their garments,and without injury to the unfortunate suf-ferers, drag them to the convent, or assistthem to walk, and loosen the little bottlesof wine which they always bear tied roundtheir necks for such purposes. These dogsonce saved the treasures of the house ;thirty robbers came one by one, and eachwas hospitably received; but when theywere reunited within the walls, they sum-moned the superieure instantly to surrenderto them the wealth of the convent. Hecalmly desired them to follow to the trea-sury ; but opened the door of the roomwhere these dogs were kept, which at hisvoice, attacked the robbers, and destroyedthem.