BLACKWELL FAMILY ELIZABETH BLACKWELL From A.H. MarshallPutfontein Jany 19th /18 Dear Madam I received your letter of the 1st of Dec, also your paper, for which I thank you very much. I have been some little time away from here, or should have replied to you before. I have also taken some photos of natives which I intended sending you, but they are not yet finished, so I must forward them later. My Aunt had written to me, & told me that you had kindly taken my little "Burr", & in her letter she said, that she thoughtBuckhurst Hill too cold for him, she having no idea that there was anything the matter with him, which I was very sorry to hear, was the case, from your letter. In your letter you state, that on his arrival at Haskings "His spirit was entirely broken". This I know would appear so at first, but in reality is not so. From his birth he was always of a most timid nature which appeared more particularly, when in the company of a strangers, although he has always displayed great pluck, when he has come in collision with other dogs, sometimes more than I wished, as I have many times had to rescue him from dogs, which otherwise I should have been very careful of encountering. As regards his foot, I am not able to say whether it will ever be entirely well again, but I have known dogs to have been lamed from various causes & in one case, of a Greyhound having its leg broken in two places, the leg afterwards withering away to mere skin & bone, but in every case (including the Greyhound) the dogs never seemed to suffer anything beyond the inconvenience arrising from the lameness, after the first month or so. From the foregoing, you will naturally gather, that I do not wish you to destroy him, which is certainly the case, butI think I have obtained sufficient knowledge of your character, during our short acquaintance to know, that there is no fear of your doing so unless your thought it a necessity. I think myself that if his natural timidity could be overcome, that anyone would find him as good a specimen of good temper & intelligence, as one could wish. I may say that I think he is superior to "Don" both in intelligence & obedience, at least he used to be, although our old "buddy" was a very good example of both. Mrs Estcourt desires to be very kindly remembered to you, & is very glad to hear that you have found "buddy" as faithful & affectionate to you, as he used to be to her. We have "Dons" little wife "Nellie" & also a little black & tan terrier here, but they are both rather void of intelligence, & we all (Mrs Estcourt, Sid, & myself are very much afraid that we shall be a very long time before we get another dog that will beat, or even equal our two little gentlemen in brown "buddy" & "Budly boy." With my kindest regards to Miss Barry & yourself I remain Yours very sincerely A.H.MarshallDowding Castle Sept 1st /87 Dear Madam The address of my Aunt (owner of "Burr") is Marston Gale Buckhurst Hill Essex She is at present in Switzerland, so am unable to communicate with her, but will do so from the Cape. I leave for Dartmouth today & sail tomorrowThanking you very much for your kindness to me & with my best wishes for you Miss Barry I remain Yours very sincerely A.H. Marshall Should you wish to write me again, my address is P.O. Pulfontein Via Klipplaat Station Midland Line Cape Colony