MEXICAN PRACTICE 71 



his breakfast he found him down and they had 

 been unable to make him get up. They told me 

 he had not seemed sick in the evening before and, 

 while they only owned him a few days, he had 

 never given any trouble. One Chinese boy told 

 me, however, that he was quite lame on one hind 

 leg, but he could not say which one. I looked 

 him over a little closer then and I saw he had a 

 big spavin on the under leg. As the fellow says, 

 "I saw a light then." 



Knowing the Chinese awe for "hocus-pocus 

 stuff" I thought I would have a little fun out of 

 this job. (Mind you, my charge for this eight 

 mile trip was eight dollars ; }^ou may be sure they 

 tried hard to get him up before calling me. ) 



Taking my side-line I first laid it over him in 

 such a manner that it formed a circle over his 

 side, mumbling at the same time a few words like 

 "foramen lacerum basis cranii," and allowing the 

 rope to remain in the coiled position for a minute, 

 by the watch. Taking it off now I fastened one 

 end to a hind and a front leg and told the Chinese 

 boys "Now, alright," and with all of them pulling 

 on the rope we "flopped him over;" and up he 

 jumped! 



The clash of Chinese tongues that followed 

 immediately was something great. The boss 

 Chinaman wanted me to tell him those words I 

 had to say to make it work and to show him just 

 how to coil the rope. 



