THE BREAK BOWIT, 59 



down the back sinews of my limb, " are protected by a slieath 

 of dense cellular substance, to confine them in their assigned 

 place, and to defend them from injury. Between the tendons 

 and the sheath is a mucous fluid to prevent friction, and either 

 over- work or sudden and \dolent exertion sometimes causes the 

 tendons to press upon the delicate membrane of the sheath, and 

 to rupture the fibres which tie them do^vn. This is the efi'cct 

 of an ordinary accident ; but," continued he, with the air of one 

 who has something more important to relate, "it occasionally 

 happens that the tendon itself or the sheath is ruptured; and I 

 am sorry to say in the present case " 



" Yhat !" broke in the Jev/, so sharp and loud that, notwith- 

 standing my anguish, I sprang forward with alarm. 



" The sheatli has given way." 



"By the prophets !" ejaculated Slippery Mo, almost frantic 

 at what he heard, "but I vish he'd been in the cat's-meat 

 barrow before I bought him. You big bi-ute !" and he shook a 

 stiff straight whip menacingly at me as he spoke, "but I 

 could cut your very heart out. Vhy couldn't you let the boy 

 hold ye, eh?" 



" A dozen couldn't have held him," remarked Tom Sh^bird. 

 "He came tearing along like a roaring locomotive." 



"Yes, the mad devil!" rejoined my new, very new o^vncr. 

 "To vin in that vay, and let everybody see vhat he could do. 

 I shall never get my monish back — never, never." 



The inflammation in my leg being very great, the veterinary 

 surgeon at once commenced the task of reducing it, by bleeding 

 me from the toe. This operation he effected by first thinning 

 the sole, and then cutting a groove with the rounded head of a 

 small drawing knife, at the junction of the sole and the crust. 

 As soon as the large vein of the toe became opened, and the 

 blood began to appear, he thrust a small lancet horizontally 

 under the sole, and a clear jet of the crimson current spirted 

 forth in copious quantities. Fomentations of hot water were 

 then applied by Tiny Pippin for an hour at a time, and when he 

 ceased to bathe my aching limb, it was incased in a poultice of 

 linsccd-meal. An aperient administered, I was left to feel in 



