THE EASTERN CAMPAIGN. 
187 
ber, I had a large screen, made of underwood, placed 
around the portion of ground set apart for my use, and 
although open above, I found that the horses, being no longer 
directly exposed to the wind, suffered no ill effects from the 
rain. 
About the latter end of August we heard that a dreadful 
■murrain (every epizootic in Turkey amongst cattle is called 
by this name) was destroying immense numbers of cattle in 
Asiatic Turkey. By degrees we heard of its nearer approach, 
and as it was just at this time that we were purchasing 
bullocks, and knowing that they had been driven some 600 
miles from the interior, we became doubly cautious in our 
dealings. The French, who were also purchasing about the’ 
same time as ourselves, and whose camp was a few miles 
from ours, first received the contagion. I was very sus- 
picious about a lot which we bought the week following, and 
which I wished consequently to have rejected ; but we were 
obliged to have them, and in a few weeks the disease made 
its appearance in our camp also. 
The cattle in which the disease first commenced had during 
their journey suffered much both from want of food and 
water. They came at once to a liberal allowance of barley 
and cut straw, the former of which we had no means of 
steeping for them. Every day they were driven a few miles 
on the hills to pasture. On their return one evening I was 
informed by the superintendent in charge that one bullock 
had dropped dead on the road, and that another had fallen 
since their return, and that he did not think it could live 
many minutes. I hastened to the camp, and found the 
animal in articulo mortis ; the limbs were rigid, the eyes sunk 
in the head, breathing scarcely perceptible, pulsation imper- 
ceptible, faeces thin, and of a light, dirty colour, and mixed with 
a considerable quantity of blood, having also a very offensive 
odour. I at once perceived that I had to deal with a disease 
of no ordinary character, but unfortunately I had to pro- 
ceed the very next morning, at half-past five, to Constan- 
tinople, to purchase horses. As I was likely to be detained 
several days I requested the late Mr. Scott, M.R.C.V.S., to 
attend to anything which might arise during my absence, 
and I likewise ordered the quarter- master of the division to 
have the whole stock carefully inspected with a view to the 
separation of any animal that appeared to be unwell, and on 
no account to allow them to be driven with the others to the 
hills, or even far from the camp. On my return three days 
afterwards, I found that seven others had died, and that 
several more were affected with the disease. Under these 
