Many and many a time had he unhoused rabbits, and squirrels, and other creatures at that word of command; so, without a moment's delay, he commenced to dig down into the sand, every now and then stopping for a moment and shoving in his nose, and snuffing interrogatively, as if he fully expected to find a buffalo at the bottom of it.

Then he would resume again, one paw after another so fast that you could scarce see them going--"hand over hand," as sailors would have called it--while the sand flew out between his hind legs in a continuous shower.

When the sand accumulated so much behind him as to impede his motions he scraped it out of his way, and set to work again with tenfold earnestness.

After a good while he paused and looked up at Dick with an "it-won't-do,-I-fear,-there's-nothing-here" expression on his face.
"Seek him out, pup!" repeated Dick.
"Oh! very good," mutely answered the dog, and went at it again, tooth and nail, harder than ever.
In the course of a quarter of an hour there was a deep yawning hole in the sand, into which Dick peered with intense anxiety.

The bottom appeared slightly _damp_.