DR. LIVINGSTONE'S MABEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6572, 9 December 1882, Page 3 (Supplement)

DR. LIVINGSTONE'S MABEL.

TilF. Paris papers announce the approaching arrival of a very interesting and distinguished quadruped. The dog, about whose previous adventurous existence many marvellous stories arc told, is Mabel, formerly the trusty four-footed companion of Dr. Livinstoue. It was purchased by its present owner, a rich merchant of Bombay, at the death of the illustrious traveller. Mabel, now ten years of age, was given to Dr. Livingstone when a puppy by the well-known composer of the popular waltzes after which the animal is named, and commenced its peregrinations in Atriea about nine months later. According to a French contemporary, which presents its readers with a sketch of the animal's life, Mabel can boast of having met with adventures such as rarely fall to the lot of a dog. Amongst other incidents of its chequered existence related by the Caulois. then; are one or two worthy of mention. In 1870, when Livingstone was in the neighbourhood of Lake N'yan/.a, he was attacked by ,i party of natives, and received so vigorous a blow on tiie brad that he was stret. hed ins- i:.-ible on the ground. When he recovered consciousness the lirst thing that attracted his attention was the bull-dog engaged in making a lnealolla savage'a .shoulder. This particular savage happening to be the chief, or king of

the tribe, t!ie mischance that 1.-ioli him caused bi., subject;) to tnkc to flight, and thus tin , traveller was delivered from a rather embair.issing situation. On another occasion Mabel, whose tastes wen: peculiar, >:iff an ostrich pa-is by. Tlio dog started oil in pursuit, sprang on its back, ami, thus mounted, was quickly dying along the desert. .Happily the Livingstone party perevived tlic flight in lime, and set out after the fugitive, wl;o, after two hours' ulia.su, was captured, the ostrich having bc-en brought t-> ;i stand by a score of well-aimed lmllets. On his arrival in the territory of the .Niaius-Niams, Dr. Livingstone was weil recoivi.il by the king of the cannibal tribe, who introduced his cook, a European, to his guest. The cook, a Neapolitan, named 7'ietro Vieeiizo, having got into dillieulties at home, had settled amongst the Niams-Niams. A feast was to lie oifureil to Dr. L-ivingstuiu: and his party; but, .is the Juiropcau evinci-ii a very dicided ilistastc for certain dishes ir.urh in favour witli the host, the cook, at a )•■=* to know how to please their palate, bcth'jiight himself of the bull-dog. Mabel, unknown to its master, was taken, and was within :i!i ace of being cocked when its familiar barking and howling reaching its owners ears saved it. Many other curious adventuresthat happened to this travelled dog in the course of its wanderings are related and vouched for, to justify Mabel's claim to the interest of the Parisian public.