130 DRESSING WITH NOXIOUS COMPOUNDS. 



made his point to such a covert, although the fox 

 took a very different line and view of the case ; 

 but if he was a fool, the huntsman of course could 

 not help it. The fox would naturally submit in 

 his defence, as an argumentum ad hominem, which 

 was the biggest fool of the two, biped or quad- 

 ruped, Q.E.D. ? But to recover mg line, which is 

 seldom a straight one, nostrums, mixums, and 

 quackeries are abominations to my ears, eyes, and 

 nose ; and when out of all the fiery compounds of 

 these highly-lauded dressings, the only ingredient 

 I could ever detect as being at all applicable to the 

 case in point, i. e. cutaneous eruptions, itch, or 

 mange, was sulphur ; the others could, of course, be 

 dispensed with, at a considerable saving of expense 

 to the master, and of pain to the unhappy animal 

 operated upon. Why it is necessary, to cure a 

 slight blotch on a hound's skin, that he should un- 

 dergo the ordeal of being nearly poisoned, and his 

 legs caused to swell to half the size of his body, 

 for the life and soul of me (as Pat said) it bothers 

 me quite entirely. 



Some years ago I lent a very favourite hound to 

 a friend who had just taken a new huntsman, 

 quite perfection in his opinion ; and a few days 

 after, on calling at the kennel, I saw my old 

 favourite lying dead on the dung-heap, blown up 



