CAPTAIN PARK YATES 23 



bled him, blistered his sides, and now the horse is all right." 

 "And how much did he charge you? " " A guinea," replied 

 the yokel proudly, and I was glad to pay it ; for he cured my 

 old horse." Since then that young veterinary surgeon does 

 likewise. 



I am sorry to say that since the time about which I am 

 writing, Melton appears to have commenced a journey on 

 the down-grade ; the cause no doubt being the introduction 

 of factories into this once charming rural town. Hunting- 

 people who have lots of money, seek during the winter a 

 change into the country, which ceases to be country when 

 it is converted into a manufacturing centre. Consequently, 

 Melton is becoming deserted for places in which there is 

 less smoke and no mill hands. I think that Melton's loss 

 will be Oakham's gain. 



As it was no use following in the footsteps of Mr. Goodall, 

 I accepted an offer from Mr. W. H. Walker to go to Sandy 

 Brow, near Tarporley, Cheshire, to train a stable of steeple- 

 chase horses he was getting together. Mr. Walker treated 

 me liberally ; but his marriage made him relinquish the idea, 

 and we parted good friends. My wife and I had lots of 

 hunting with the North Cheshire during the winter we stayed 

 at Sandy Brow. No master could have been more popular 

 with the farmers than the late Captain Park Yates, and the 

 people were nice, but they would holloa ! I hope Lord 

 Enniskillen keeps them in order. We went to London, 

 where I spent eight or nine months bringing out new editions 

 of Points of the Horse and Veterinary Notes for Horse- 

 owners, and began a translation from the German of Fried- 

 berger and Frohner's Veterinary Pathology, the first part 

 of which translation is now before the public. Besides 

 bringing out this book, I added a large number of notes 

 for the benefit of English readers, and had the good fortune 

 to strengthen it with a chapter on bacteriology written by 



