FEATS OF ALPINE DOGS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 68, 17 September 1927, Page 20

FEATS OF ALPINE DOGS

EESCUE MONKS LOST IN SNOW.

The dogs of the Alpine Hospice of Mount St. Bernard have justified their fame again. Bcgularly the dogs save ordinary travellers from the snow and bring them to the monks' Hospice founded at the top of the pass by St. Bernard of Menthon, nearly 1000 years ago, states the "San Francisco Chronicle." The dogs also have done the unprecedented feat of seeking, finding, and digging out a bunch of thoir own masters, lost in the snow, after the dogs had already rescued five ordinary travellers in the nine days previously. It was unprecendented, because the monks, their masters, who rcceivo and nurse lost travellers in the Hospice, are seldom lost in the snow. It was a dramatic episode in the eventful history of tho region. A party of five monks and five students set out on skis to make a tour of the neighbourhood, when one of _ them suggested that they should visit the scene of an avalanche that had fallen earlier in tho day. The track of the avalanche lay between the Hospico and the little Italian Customs house lower down. Tho five monks had already traversed the danger zone, when with a roar another avalanche of powdery snow 200 yards wide f«ll, sweeping the five students away. Two. of them freed themselves, but despite the frantic efforts of the monks, no trace could be found of the others. ■ A messenger on skis was sent to tho Hospice for the famous dogs. The powerful animals arrived on tho scene baying loudly. Not only were three students lost in the, ayalanche, but three of ■. the five monks were down and out by this time. They w re. unconscious, sunk in the deep, soft snow, and losing their ability to breathe from exhaustion. The dogs arrived alone, ahead of messenger and monks who followed from the Hospice. Four dogs stuck to their exhausted masters, snuggling against them, warming them, breathing on them and pushing them about to make them regain consciousness. Tho other dogs, ■with unerring instinct, began to burrow in different places. Very soon the body, still warm, of one man named Luisicr was recovered. Artificial respiration was tried for sis' hours, but was unsuccessful. The bodies of the two remaining students were recovered similarly by the dogs, but both were dead, The wonderful thing which the dogs did was to save their seven remaining masters. ' ' It required a considerable time for the messenger to arrive at the Hospico for aid of men and dogs. Once such aid had started the dogs rushed ahead, going back on the messenger's track. Then, after the arrival of the dogs on the spot, it took a similar rather long time for the men to arrive behind them. The samo dogs had already rescued five ordinary travellers in tho nine days previous. The dogs were taken to St. Bernard originally by an uncle of Charlemagne, at whose court they had been bearbaiting brutes for generations.