Major Giles and his Horses. 123 



its nostrils slightly tarred inside, once a week a 

 tonic dose is administered to each, composed of 

 about two wine-glasses of gin, ^vith enough 

 quinine to co^'er a shilling, well piled u]), mixed 

 with the gin. Further, in places with an CA'il 

 re23utation for horse sickness, the horses Avere 

 never allowed to go to the river or other water ; 

 buckets of water Avere brought to the camp and 

 allowed to stand for an hour or more in the sun. 

 and then slightly chilled by mixing warm water. 

 The great and principal precaution is that some 

 trustworthy person should daily see that the 

 grooms carry out these regulations conscientiously. 

 A few minutes' neglect destroys the effect of all 

 the care of days and weeks. I admit that many 

 persons assert that all precautions against horse 

 sickness are unavailing, and that we were favoured 

 by singular luck whicli could not l^e expected to 

 follow us lono'.i Y^.|- ^]^g treatment described 

 above is strictly in accordance with common-sense 

 and with elementary sanitary science, and is surely 

 worth a careful trial in view of the immense value 

 of horses to the traveller in South Africa. On 

 one day while at Tuli all the oxen were brought 

 in for inspection and appeared to be of fine quality 

 and in first-class condition. Certainly it would 

 not have been thought that the respective spans 

 had been engaged during six weeks in drawing 

 waggon-loads of about 7000 lbs. apiece over a 

 distance of 550 miles alono- Bechuanaland roads. 

 The camp Avas, by special permission of the com- 

 ' This opinion turned out to be correct. 



