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Title: The adventures of Dumpy Dimple and his dog!

Illustrator: C. F. Christie

Author: May Byron

Release date: October 17, 2026 [eBook #79813]

Language: English

Original publication: New York: Hodder & Stoughton, 1908

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/79813

Credits: David Edwards, Ed Leckert and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DUMPY DIMPLE AND HIS DOG! ***

Dumpy Dimple dressed in headdress, red jumper, blue shorts, brown hiking books, heads off with his dog Rag ready for adventures

1 The Adventures of
DUMPY DIMPLE
And his DOG!

Dumpy Dimple, dressed in hat, thick coat and scarf, smiles and holds Rag who looks lovingly up to Dumpy’s face

Pictured by G. F. Christie.

Told by M. Byron.

NEW YORK
HODDER & STOUGHTON.

Thomas Forman & Sons
PRINTERS

NOTTINGHAM
ENGLAND.

This is a story, short and simple,

About the adventures of Dumpy Dimple,

And Rag, his dog. They were very queer,

And most exciting,—as you shall hear!

No doubt your friends may have talked to you

Of the wonderful battle of Bunkerloo,

And the things that happened to Dumpy D.—

Oh! don’t I wish they would happen to me!

How he hunted beasts of the fiercest kind,

How he fought each enemy he could find,—

How he captured a regiment single-handed,

And they had to do just as he commanded.

Dumpy Dimple was short and fat,

But extremely brave in spite of that;

And Rag, the pluckiest dog was he,—

They were both as bold as bold can be.

And they made a laager—a camp, you know,—

With sacks and boxes all in a row,—

They’d a gun, a sword, and a flag to wave,—

No wonder they were so bold and brave!

And Dick, the horse (of the four-wheel breed),

He could snort and gallop—he could, indeed!

In fact, they were just the sort, all three,

For having adventures—as you will see!

The First Adventure.

Rag peeks out of the top of a box surrounded by a sack and spade lying in the grass

THEY DISCOVER
THE ENEMY
AND RAG
GOES
SCOUTING!

Said, Dumpy Dimple, “Now, Rag, stand steady:

Is the rifle loaded? Is everything ready?

The enemy’s coming soon, I hope,—

I see him, I think, through my telescope.

Dumpy and Rag stand atop the box, Dumpy looking afar through a telescope to the trees, with sack, spade, hobby horse and umbrella nearby

So you had better be off to scout,—

Go very quietly, creep about,—

But if you should hear the rifle crack,

Quick as you can, dear Rag, come back!”

The Second Adventure.

Elephant mounted on platform with wheels laying on its side

THEY STALK
A
MONSTROUS
ELEPHANT.

Just then a trumpet began to blow,

And Dumpy whispered, “I told you so!”

A fearful Elephant, huge, immense,

Was glaring over the garden-fence!

Dumpy and Rag hide in the bushes while watching the elephant looking over the fence

They stalked the Elephant inch by inch,—

He was dreadfully big—but they didn’t flinch:

Dumpy, choosing the proper spots,

Brought him down in a couple of shots.

The Third Adventure.

Camp fire beneath a kettle hanging from wooden poles held together at the top

THEY
MAKE
TEA.

Dumpy and Rag were as pleased as Punch,

But both of them felt it was time for lunch:

A nice camp-table they managed to fix,

And boiled the kettle on blazing sticks.

Rag sits on tree stump with paws on a makeshift table on which are placed a jar of jam, bread and a knife, while Dumpy pours water from the kettle into a mug

For however brave a hero may be,

He’s braver far when he’s had some tea:

And Rag was ever so fond of a crust,

Though he wouldn’t touch if you told him—“Trust!”

The Fourth Adventure.

THEY GO
A-HUNTING AGAIN
AND MEET A
SAVAGE BUNNY.

Dumpy said, as he galloped out,

“I’m sure there are fierce wild beasts about!”

And the very next moment—wasn’t it funny?—

He was face to face with a savage Bunny!

Hobby Horse tied to a tree, Rag and Dumpy behind another tree, watch savage Bunny approach

Do you think that he or Rag showed fear?

Certainly not. With a bark and a cheer,

They dashed on the foe with all their might,

And thrashed him soundly in one sharp fight.

The Fifth Adventure.

Golliwogg with legs crossed sits on the ground behind a tree

THEY RESCUE
A PRISONER
AND TREAT HIM
WITH MUCH
KINDNESS.

Goodness! what can the matter be?

A poor black prisoner tied to a tree!

It shan’t be said that a boy and a dog

Wouldn’t rescue a Golliwogg!

Dumpy rides the hobby horse, spade in hand, with Rag close by, getting ready to save Golliwogg who has been tied to a tree

They freed the captive, they gave him food,

He was quite overcome with gratitude,

And they sang him, “Rule Britannia” then,

Over, and over, and over again.

The Sixth Adventure.

Rag pulls rope tied in a loop around the toy soldier

THEY CAPTURE
SIX OF THE
ENEMY,
WHO KICK.

When you meet with an enemy’s troop,

You get a rope and you make a loop,

You throw your lasso, and catch a man,

One by one—it’s a splendid plan!

Dumpy astride the hobby horse, with Rag in front, throws a lasso around one of three toy soldiers

Dumpy tried it with great success,

Six fine soldiers he took—no less.

They kicked a little, as soldiers will,

But Rag said, “Grr!” if they didn’t keep still.

The Seventh Adventure.

THEY FIGHT
THE
BATTLE OF
BUNKERLOO.

A poppy-field they now did view—

’Twas the famous field of Bunkerloo.

The enemy, full of boast and brag,

Wanted to slaughter Dumpy and Rag.

Rag hides behind Dumpy’s legs as Dumpy with shield and sword approaches the scarecrow

But Dumpy, giving his wildest yell,

With sword and shield on the foeman fell,—

And Rag, very brave, though he didn’t show it,

Cried, “Yap! yap! yap!” which meant, “Dumpy, go it!”

The Eighth Adventure.

Dumpy in feathered headdress pours medicine into a glass

THEY GO INTO
HOSPITAL, AND
RAG’S WOUNDS ARE
ATTENDED TO.

But Rag, poor dog, in the thick of the fight,

Got badly wounded—a piteous sight—

And Dumpy hoisted a small red flag,

While he was busy attending to Rag.

In the makeshift hospital, Rag sits atop the box, shaded by the umbrella, as Dumpy takes his temperature

In a hospital tent Rag had to lie,

With a dismal whine and a bandaged eye.

But Dumpy said, “Though you’ve suffered loss,

I’m certain you’ll get the Victoria Cross!”

The Ninth Adventure.

Rag stands over one of the toy soldiers laying on the ground

THEY
CAPTURE
A
DESERTER.

The battle continued all round about,

And Dumpy ordered his sentries out;

But one of them thought he might get hurt,

So (very meanly) he tried to desert.

Dumpy sleeps on the ground, shaded by the umbrella, as Rag brings him the toy solider deserter

The Captain was getting a moment’s nap,

Quite tired out with the fray, poor chap.

But Rag, with a face very stern and grim,

Spied the deserter and captured him.

The Tenth Adventure.

THEY
PUNISH
THE
DESERTER.

He had to be punished, of course he had;

But Dumpy hated to see him sad;

Dumpy said, with a frowning brow,

“We haven’t time for Court-martials now!

Dumpy sits over paperwork, feather and ink, as he declares punishment for the toy solider while Rag oversees the proceedings

Just to show you how kind I am,

I shall only, Soldier, cut off your jam;

Back to your post! Whatever we do,

We must win the Battle of Bunkerloo!”

The Eleventh Adventure.

Rag stands on hind legs facing a toy solider

THEY WIN
THE BATTLE
AND DUMPY
IS PROMOTED.

When the evening drum went Rub-a-dub-dub,

Rag, like a General, mounted the tub.

And Captain Dumpy, the fight being done,

Came and reported how he had won.

Rag sits upright on a barrel, front paws holding the spade, as Dumpy salutes

General Rag hadn’t much to say,

But he thought a good deal, for that was his way:

And what he meant when he said, “Bow-wow!”

Was—“You’re promoted to Colonel now!”

The Twelfth and last Adventure.

Dumpy feeds Rag from a large wooden spoon

THEY
BIVOUAC
AFTER THE
DAY’S WORK.

Dumpy sits beside the camp fire and stirs the stew in the pot as Rag waits with one ear cocked

And, now as the enemies round about,

Were each defeated and put to rout,

And as he was safe from all attack,

Dumpy said, “Let us bivouac!

We’ll boil a kettle and make a stew,

And get some supper for me and you:

I think, for to-day, adventures are done,—

Rag, old boy! wasn’t it splendid fun!”

Dumpy holds Rag in one hand, waving his hat in the other, surrounded by a soldier, the elephant, and Golliwogg, while Bunny hides behind a drum — “Good Bye!”

1 The Adventures of DUMPY DIMPLE And his DOG!