44 nORSES AND HOUNDS. 



deep for me to unravel • your ball, however, contains aloes, 

 gum guaiacum, carraway, and, I liave a notion, a sprinkling of 

 black pepper, with a fcAv drops of oil of turpentine." 



At this announcement, Mr. Bolter's visage became consider- 

 ably elongated; but he still tried to keep his ground, saying 

 he would answer for his ball, and he would take a little blood 

 as well. 



" Bleeding," I said, " may not be amiss ; but the only fit re- 

 ceptacle for the ball is your own pocket." 



My friend appearing undecided, I clenched the matter by say- 

 ing at once — 



"Now, Mr. Bolter, I will bet you five pounds, or five shillings, 

 that if the horse is to take that stuff in your pocket, he is stiff 

 in four-and-twenty hours — will you take my bet ?" 



" No, sir," he said, " I wont ; I don't like betting." 



" Then," said my friend, " that settles the matter ; my horse 

 shall not take that ball, at all events." 



The horse was bled, however, and very soon afterwards a 

 clever veterinary surgeon arrived, who approved of what I had 

 done and suggested, and told my friend that if the furrier had 

 crammed that stuff down the horse's throat, his chance would 

 have been out. 



" Warm water and gruel, with the apparatus T have brought 

 over, are the only remedies to be applied in this case ; and if 

 these don't save his life, nothing can." 



Fortunately his life was saved, and Mr. Thomas was ordered 

 to spare his trouble in mixing up any more condition balls. 

 One can scarcely guess the extraordinary things which are some- 

 times prescribed by ignorant people in the country. 



Before I could give my horses the luxury of a loose box to 

 each, they were always turned round in their stalls once or 

 twice in the day, and left to stand, with a rein attached to each 

 post, and in this position they were groomed, cleaning horses 

 against the rack, or manger, induces them to become crib-biters. 

 Some horses are so ticklish, when rubbed under the belly, that 

 you cannot prevent them kicking, unless the foreleg is strapped 

 up, or the tail held firmly down by one hand, while the other 

 is employed in wisping off the dirt : but some grooms take 

 rather a pleasure in making their horses kick and bite whilst 

 dressing them — there is certainly no necessity for half the fuss 

 and work which is made often about this simple operation. To 

 hear some grooms hissing and blowing whilst dressing horses, 

 you might suppose their labours to be quite Herculean ; and 

 the quantities of dust they inhale from this practice cannot be 

 otherwise than most hurtful to their own coiistitutions, 



