THE horse's rescue. 265 



resting on both hands to hold his head up. I ap- 

 proached him, as cautiously as I knew how to, on the 

 horse. I saw the condition of his row of fine horses 

 at a glance when I first stepped in. It would not take 

 a very close observer to see they were in a very bad 

 condition. The whole row stood on piles of manure 

 that elevated them behind at least a foot too high. 

 Some were ankle-cocked ; some off their base badly ; 

 in fact, they were a hard-looking sight. In a round- 

 about way I commenced to talk horse. I carefully 

 closed upon him at last. I told him they could be 

 cured without medicine. Then he exploded. He 

 railed at me : 



*' Bo you think we are all damned fools here? Do 

 you think you can humbug us?" 



There was no use in talking with him any more. 

 There would be danger of getting some of that rub- 

 bish over my head. Next I walked into a blacksmith 

 shop. I glanced around. I saw things were all kept 

 in good order. The work all looked mechanic-like. 

 There was some good work finished and partly fin- 

 ished. Onlv one man was in this shop. I asked him 

 if he was the proprietor. He said he was, and worked 

 alone. I saw he had quite a head on him, though his 

 body was very inferior. He was deformed, small, 

 hump-shouldered. He did not look as though he was 

 able to shoe horses. But he did, I saw, and his work 

 looked well. I soon saw I could, talk with him on 

 the principles of "forking on the feet of horses. I 

 had my pasteboard foot to show him the principles to 

 work on. He soon saw the whole business. I spent 

 about an hour with him. He was the most i 



