ARRIVING THIX. 33 



and the pulse above fifty, you must consider well the 

 risk you run : it may be only slight fever, or tempo- 

 vary derangement caused by the boat,bad feeding, &c. ; 

 but there may be, also, some radically bad disease 

 lurking.""" 



Most horses from the stables cough a little at first, 

 but the whole catalogue of diseases of the lungs and 

 air-passages, excepting chronic cough, are compara- 

 tively rare in India. If the cough is vely short, like 

 that of an asthmatic person, or very loud and stertor- 

 ous, either will denote some chronic derangement, 

 and it will be on the safe side to reject him : (I have 

 seldom passed over a valuable horse myself in conse- 

 quence of this, but merely deducted something for 

 the risk ;) and if when one nostril is closed, the 

 breathing is not clear in the other, it will denote an 

 ulcer in this passage, and he should be rejected also. 

 Pinching the windpipe is the only ready mode of ex- 

 citing a cough, if the walk and trot fail ;t but all 

 dealers will not stand much of this pinching, for it is 

 very possible to bring on a cough that never existed. 

 It must be the last thing resorted to when purchasing : 

 you should previously make up your mind to take 

 the horse, if satisfied with the sound of the cough. 



* Most likely disease of the lungs. ED. 



t This is a most barbarous practise, and one which I would never practise 

 or allow. If a horse does not cough when sharply trotted and cantered, you 

 may make pretty certain that the lungs and air-passages are clear and all 

 right ED. 



