78 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



being taken away thought that it was all up with him, 

 but there was no danger really." 



"Well, do tell me all about it and how the idea as to 

 poison arose." 



" I think, perhaps, that the idea came into my head 

 first, and chiefly because, in all my experience, I had 

 never seen a horse in the same state, nor could anyone 

 give any natural explanation of it. Mr Loeffler certainly 

 thought one of his teeth might have caused it one of 

 the molars that he would in ordinary course be shedding 

 just about now. This tooth was rather decayed and 

 Loeffler extracted it, but I don't see how it could have 

 caused the trouble. 



" You see, it was in this way. He had done a capital 

 gallop on Thursday never went better ; but on Friday 

 there was evidently something wrong, and presently he 

 began to run at the mouth in a most extraordinary 

 manner. 



"No, there was no running from the nose, nor any 

 signs of cold or fever. On examination we found his 

 tongue was swelling and two great angry blisters forming 

 underneath it ; but at first we believed him to be suffer- 

 ing from a sore throat, and I myself rubbed his throat 

 with mustard. 



" He continued to get worse. Loeffler came, as you 

 know ; but on Sunday the horse's tongue was so swollen 

 that he could not keep it in his mouth, and then it was 

 that we lanced the blisters or gatherings. From that 

 time he began to get better, and I cannot say that, 

 except in regard to his tongue and mouth, there has 

 been anything the matter with him ; it seems to have 

 been purely a local trouble, whatever it was. 



"Of course he could not eat much, and that only soft 



