172 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



mischief will spread, and the horse be temporarily 

 incapacitated for work. The blacksmith's knife 

 must be evoked, and every particle of diseased 

 horn cut out, and then a few drops of turpentine, 

 or butyr of antimony poured over the surface, 

 though this last must be used with care and 

 discretion. The cavity must be kept constantly 

 dressed with tar ointment, and in the course of 

 time it will grow out similar to a sandcrack. 

 The horn composing the sole of the foot is quite 

 different in texture from the rest, and instead of 

 wearing away by attrition, it flakes off in large 

 particles. There is no need for the smith to touch 

 this with his knife at all ; he does no good ; but 

 if he contents himself with just removing what 

 would otherwise come off by itself, he does no 

 harm. He is very apt, however, to make " a clean 

 job of it," and pare the foot well out. Beneath 

 the sole the horn gradually becomes a soft, 

 cheese-like substance, which is all that covers 

 the sensitive part, so that by the time the smith 

 has finished, there is sometimes not much left 

 to interpose between the shock of half a ton or 

 more (the weight of the horse), and the jagged 

 edges of a newly-macadamised road. 



In my childhood it was the fashion for a smith 

 to pare out the foot till the sole would spring to 

 his thumb, and many a time have I stood and 

 watched the man pressing with his thumb, and 

 then paring off a little more sole, until he 

 thought there was sufficient " spring." If he 

 had had his own boots taken off, and it was found 

 that his feet when pressed sprung well through 

 his stockings, and he had been started in them 

 to run over a new metalled road, he might per- 

 haps have gained a clearer idea about the result 

 of his treatment of a horse ! 



