86 On the Bloody Murrahu 



of the aforesaid cattle was reported to be diseased. I im- 

 mediately discovered that he laboured under some fever, 

 and exhibited great dejection of spirits and countenance ; 

 this indicated the propriety of blood letting, but before 

 the arrangements for this operation were made, I disco- 

 vered that the steer was afflicted with a severe bowel 

 complaint, as he copiously discharged blood partially in- 

 termixed with his dung. I therefore concluded that the 

 use of the lancet would not be advisable, and substituted 

 halfa pound of Glauber's salts. It \\ as now about 4 o'clock, 

 P. M. and not supposing that the unknown complaint 

 was so speedily to terminate his existence, I did not visit 

 him again until twilight of the next morning, when to 

 my great astonishment I discovered him to be in the 

 agonies of death. 



To prevent contagion, he was, immediately after life 

 left him, conveyed to a proper distance from the other 

 stock, and opened. No parts of the abdominal contents 

 exhibited signs of disease, excepting two. The gall- 

 bladder was surprisingly distended, the vegetable sub- 

 sta^v:e contained between the manifolds was unusually 

 dry, and the manifolds retained little more tenacity than 

 that of macerated puste-board. Never did I so much 

 regret the loss of a working beast as on this occasion; 

 his remaining companion, from his lamentations, seemed 

 to know that the faithful sharer of his toils had disappear- 

 ed for ever. 



1 resolved to procure a mate for my surviving ox, and 

 instantly repaired to the farm of a neighbour, who, I 

 knew, had selected some fine oxen out of the same drove; 

 and here it was, that I was first informed that the bloody 

 n~iurrain had recently made its appearance in several parts 

 of this county; and that he, my neighbour, had lost tivo 

 excellent cattle by this disease, they being out of the 

 same drove from which I had procured my yoke. It is 



