Riding hound
May 2, 2113
Octavio Briswald’s field notes
We clearly had not made the best of impressions upon him thus far, but our request to view his riding hounds seemed to improve the General’s temper considerably. He took us on an extended tour of his stables, where we expressed an awe that was both politically expedient and entirely genuine.
Great Scott, the magnificence of those beasts! Towering and ferocious, the muscle-bound steeds are worth their weight in jevonite, though the symbolic impact of owning such a large cavalcade is undoubtedly worth far more. Originally bred as pack animals, the last hundred years have seen their genetics tinkered with again and again, keeping them in-line with the culture’s rapidly evolving focus on military might.
Leonard Fitzmurdle’s personal log
Our host’s assumption that he would be featured in the portrait came as a surprise to me, but I didn’t think it was wise to disagree, especially after our earlier blunders. Faced with the General’s silent posing and my mute focus on the illustration at hand, Briswald kept up the flow of an entirely one-sided conversation. I scribbled a few of his observations in the margin of my sketchpad:
“I suppose they bring new meaning to the phrase, ‘Let slip the dogs of war,’ eh what! …Yes by God, I must say, a most prodigious pack; a humongous harras; a stupendously stately stable! … Tally ho, take heed the quarry, and so on, wouldn’t you say? View halloo! View halloo!”
Fortunately, after about half an hour one of the servants brought out a large tray of delicacies, which suitably occupied Briswald for the rest of the sitting.
Other mentions: Riding hounds were an occasional source of paternal pride (DS9).
