“He’s a werry faithful creetur, is a mongrel, if he’s properly trained,” he said slowly and solemnly; “and as to game, where’s the game he’d find in a carrier’s cart? You can bring him along, mate.”
Leaving the landlord in a temporarily crushed condition, he walked off to his horses, which stamped impatiently at all this delay. The dog suffered Tim to take him in his arms without any resistance, though he winced a little as if in pain, and the cart presently drove away from the small knot of interested spectators gathered round the inn door. Then, gently examining his new comrade, the boy found that one of his hind-legs was injured, so that he could not put it to the ground, and moaned when it was touched, though he licked Tim’s hand immediately afterwards in apology.
“But I don’t think it’s broke,” said the boy encouragingly; “and when we get home I’ll bathe it and tie it up, and I dessay I can find yer a bit o’ supper.”
Soothed perhaps by this prospect, and evidently feeling a sense of comfort and protection, the dog stretched out his thin, weary limbs, and soon, sharing the warm shelter of Tim’s horse-cloth, slept profoundly.
And thus the new friends made their first journey together.
Story 2 -- Chapter 2.
Faithful Moses—A Short Story—(contd).
So from this time there was a van-dog as well as a van-boy; three “mates” travelling in the cart between Roydon and London—Joshua, Tim, and Moses, for after much consideration that was the name given to the dog.