i9] A SICK PONY 243 



colic. Oates called my attention to it, but we were neither much 

 alarmed, remembering the speedy recovery of ' Jimmy Pigg ' 

 under similar circumstances. Later the pony was sent out for 

 exercise with Crean. I passed him twice and seemed to gather 

 that things were well, but Crean afterwards told me that he 

 had had considerable trouble. Every few minutes the poor beast 

 had been seized with a spasm of pain, had first dashed forward 

 as though to escape it and then endeavoured to lie down. Crean 

 had had much difficulty in keeping him in, and on his legs, for 

 he is a powerful beast. When he returned to the stable he was 

 evidently worse, and Oates and Anton patiently dragged a sack 

 to and fro under his stomach. Every now and again he at- 

 tempted to lie down, and Oates eventually thought it wiser to 

 let him do so. Once down, his head gradually drooped until 

 he lay at length, every now and again twitching very horribly 

 with the pain and from time to time raising his head and even 

 scrambling to his legs when it grew intense. I don't think I 

 ever realised before how pathetic a horse could be under such 

 conditions; no sound escapes him, his misery can only be indi- 

 cated by those distressing spasms and by dumb movements of 

 the head turned with a patient expression always suggestive of 

 appeal. Although alarmed by this time, remembering the care 

 with which the animals are being fed I could not picture any- 

 thing but a passing indisposition. But as hour after hour passed 

 without improvement, it was impossible not to realise that the 

 poor beast was dangerously ill. Oates administered an opium 

 pill and later on a second, sacks were heated in the oven and 

 placed on the poor beast; beyond this nothing could be done 

 except to watch Oates and Crean never left the patient. As 

 the evening wore on I visited the stable again and again, but 

 only to hear the same tale no improvement. Towards mid- 

 night I felt very downcast. It is so very certain that we cannot 

 afford to lose a single pony the margin of safety has already 

 been far overstepped, we are reduced to face the circumstance 

 that we must keep all the animals alive or greatly risk failure. 

 So far everything has gone so well with them that my fears 

 of a loss had been lulled in a growing hope that all would be 

 well therefore at midnight, when poor ' Bones ' had continued 

 in pain for twelve hours and showed little sign of improvement, 

 I felt my fleeting sense of security rudely shattered. 



