The Mastiff　獒

The mastiff is a large,grave,sullen-looking dog,with a wide chest,noble head,long switch tail,bright eyes,and a loud,deep voice.Of all dogs this is the most vigilant watcher over the property of his master,and nothing can tempt him to betray the confidence reposed in him.Notwithstanding his commanding appearance,and the strictness with which he guards the property of his master,the mastiff is possessed of great mildness of character,and is very grateful for any favors bestowed upon him.I once went into the barn of a friend where there was a mastiff chained;I went up to the dog and patted him on the head,when out rushed the groom from the stable exclaiming,“Come away,sir!He's dangerous with strangers.”But I did not remove my hand nor show any fear.The consequence was,that the dog and I were the best of friends;but had I shown any fear,and hastily removed my hand,I might have fared rather badly,for this dog always couples fear with guilt.

獒是一种大型犬。它身体高大、尾巴很长、昂头阔胸、目光炯炯、声音浑厚有力。獒不苟言笑，总是一副闷闷不乐的样子。在所有的犬中，獒是主人财产最警觉的守护者，无论什么都不会诱使它背叛主人对它的信任。獒尽管外表吓人，而且履行起职责来不留情面，但是，却天性温和、知恩图报。有一次，我在一个朋友的牲口棚里看到一只用链条拴着的獒。于是，我走上前去拍了拍它的脑袋，可就在这时，马夫从马厩里冲出来大喊：“走开，先生！危险！”但是，我并没有把手缩回来，也没有惊慌失措。结果，我俩成了最好的朋友。当时，如果我流露出哪怕一点点的恐惧，迅速缩回伸出去的手，那我可能就惨了，因为獒总是把恐惧当成是心怀不善。