When Hawker pushed at the old gate, it hesitated because of a broken hinge.

A dog barked with loud ferocity and came headlong over the grass.
"Hello, Stanley, old man!" cried Hawker.

The ardour for battle was instantly smitten from the dog, and his barking swallowed in a gurgle of delight.

He was a large orange and white setter, and he partly expressed his emotion by twisting his body into a fantastic curve and then dancing over the ground with his head and his tail very near to each other.

He gave vent to little sobs in a wild attempt to vocally describe his gladness.