[ Yonge / The Heir of Redclyffe ]
Yonge's first commercial success, this romantic (and religious) novel has one reference to Newfoundlands, in Chapter 4, when one of the principal characters, Guy, recounts his attempt to save a neighboring farmer's ram from a swiftly rushing stream. Having jumped into the stream to rescue the ram, Guy finds himself being carried away by the rapid current when he manages to grab hold of an overhanging tree branch.
"Well, Triton ... came to the rescue at last," said Guy, laughing; "I could not stir, and the tree bent so frightfully with the current that I expected every minute we should all go together; so I had nothing for it but to halloo as loud as I could. No one heard but Triton, the old Newfoundland dog, who presently came swimming up, so eager to help, poor fellow, that I thought he would have throttled me, or hurt himself in the branches. I took off my handkerchief and threw it to him, telling him to take it to Arnaud, who I knew would understand it as a signal of distress."
"Did he? How long had you to wait?"
"I don't know — it seemed long enough before a most welcome boat appeared, with some men in it, and Triton in an agony. They would never have found me but for him, for my voice was gone. . . ."
Triton is mentioned only once more in the novel, a few lines beyond the passage just quoted, when one of Guy's friends remarks on Guy having saved the ram from drowning:
"I hope you had a medal from the Humane Society," said Charles.
"That would have been more proper for Triton."
Triton was a sea-god in Greek mythology — a most apt name for a Newfie.