340 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



and after my visitors had departed went back 

 to Orme to find out what was the matter. An 

 examination revealed a swollen mouth. 



The first idea to enter my head was that 

 there must be some tooth trouble, and I at 

 once sent a telegram to Loeffler, the horse 

 dentist at Newmarket, requesting him to come 

 to Kingsclere. He arrived the following day, 

 and declaring that one of Orme's incisors was 

 diseased, extracted it. We both examined the 

 tooth. Loefiier asserted it was diseased. With 

 that opinion I disagreed ; I satisfied myself that 

 the tooth was perfectly sound. There was, no 

 doubt, an offensive odour given off, but I 

 protested that it was due to the decomposing 

 food adhering to the tooth. Loeffler strongly 

 resented the expression of my opinion, con-, 

 tradicting as it did his diagnosis, and he became 

 very excited. 



Anyhow, the removal of the tooth brought 

 no relief to Orme. He became indeed rapidly 

 worse, so I summoned Mr. Williams, the 

 veterinary professor, who hastened to Kingsclere, 

 together with his son. After a careful examina- 

 tion they told me that Orme had been poisoned. 

 I had already come to the same conclusion. By 

 now the tongue was so enlarged that Orme 

 could swallow neither liquid nor solid food. All 

 the symptoms pointed to mercurial poisoning. 

 The hair of his coat began to come off, and 



