The Tale of the Pointer Tray

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In a voyage which I made to the East Indies
with Captain Hamilton, I took a favorite pointer with me.
He was to use a common phrase worth his weight
in gold, for he never deceived me. One day, when
we were, by the best observations, we could make at
least three hundred leagues from land, my dog pointed. I

(00:24):
observed him for nearly an hour with astonishment, and mentioned
the circumstance to the Captain and every officer on board,
asserting that we must be near land, for my dog
smelt game. This occasioned a general laugh, but that did

(00:45):
not alter in the least the good opinion I had
of my dog. After much conversation, pro and con I
boldly told the Captain that I placed more confidence in
Traysne that I did in the eyes of every seaman
on board, and therefore boldly proposed laying the sum I

(01:11):
had agreed to pay for my passage viz. One hundred guineas,
that we should find game within half an hour. The Captain,
a good hearty fellow, laughed again desired mister Crawford, the surgeon,
who was prepared to feel my pulse. He did so

(01:32):
and reported me in perfect health. The following dialogue between
them took place. I overheard it, though spoken low and
at some distance. Captain, his brain is turned. I cannot
with honor except his wager, Surgeon. I am of a
different opinion. He is quite sane, and depends more upon

(01:57):
the scent of his dog than he will upon the
judgment of all the officers on board. He will certainly lose,
and he richly merits it. Captain, such a wager cannot
be fair on my side. However, I'll take him up
if I return his money. Afterwards, during the above conversation,

(02:21):
Tray continued in the same situation and confirmed me still
more in my opinion. I proposed the way Dur a
second time. It was then accepted. Done and done were
scarcely said on both sides. When some sailors who were
fishing in the longboat, which was made fast to the

(02:43):
stern of the ship, harpooned an exceedingly large shark, which
they brought on board and began to cut up for
the purpose of barreling the oil. When behold they found
no less than six brace of life partridges in this
animal's stomach. They had been so long in that situation

(03:07):
that one of the hens was sitting upon four eggs,
and a fifth was hatching. When the shark was opened.
This young bird was brought up by placing it with
a litter of kittens that came into the world a
few minutes before. The old cat was as fond of
it as any of her own four legged progeny, and

(03:31):
made herself very unhappy when it flew out of her
reach till it returned again. As to the other partridges,
there were four hens, amongst them one or more were
during the voyage constantly sitting, and consequently we had plenty

(03:53):
of game at the captain's table, and, in gratitude to
poor Tray for being the men means of winning one
hundred guineas I ordered him the bones daily, and sometimes
a whole bird end of the tail of the point
a tray