"I believe the Duc was well liked by his people, which is probably what spared him the fate of so many others of his class." replied Duponte. "The book itself is a collection of stories and folk tales. The onyx dog was one of them, and I suppose he felt it the most interesting, so devoted the most of his efforts to it."<br/><br/>"The onyx dog is, apparently, a small statue which could, if the stories are to be believed, transform into a living dog. Quite a large one, of the sort a noble would have in pride of place amongst his hunting hounds. Of course, in those days, much more dangerous sport was hunted, and if any dangerous creatures came into a nobles lands, he would be expected to ride out and deal with them."