Vet in Harness Read online

astringent powders fighting for them.

  I didn't see them again until the following afternoon. Mr Clark was

  nowhere around so I went over to the railway wagon and opened the half

  door.

  This, to me, is the thing that lies at the very heart of veterinary

  practice; the wondering and worrying about how your patient is

  progressing then the long moment when you open that door and find out. I

  rested my elbows on the timbers and looked inside. The calves were lying

  quite motionless on their sides, in fact I had to look closely to make

  sure they were not dead. I banged the door behind me with deliberate

  force but not a head was raised.

  Walking through the deep straw and looking down at the outstretched

  animals, each in his rough sacking jacket, I swore to myself. It looked

  as though the whole lot was going to perish. Great, great, I thought as

  I kicked among the straw - not just one or two but a hundred per cent

  death rate this time.

  "Well you don't look very 'opeful, young man.' Mr Clark's head and

  shoulders loomed over the half door.

  I dug my hands into my pockets. "No, damn it, I'm not. They've gone down

  really fast, haven't they?'

  "Aye, it's ower wi' them all right. I've just been in t'house ringing

  Mallock.'

  The knacker man's name was like the pealing of a mournful bell.-"But

  they're not dead yet,' I said.

  "No, but it won't be long. Mallock allus gives a bob or two more if he

  can get a beast alive. Makes fresher dog meat, he says.'

  I didn't say anything and I must hav~ '~-' gave a wry smile and r~~

  ~spondent because the farmer g white scour. If you get the ~d you can't

  blame me for a bad job.' t~ave a go at them with this tit's called M and

  B 693, it came in the post this l~gs - they're called the before.

  They're supposed ~which cause scour.' id. "A lot of little blue ~is

  ailment but none of about these sulphonremedies, they're a your calves.'

  the five still bodies. :. seen calves like that, 0 ~ c, ~

  ~~ / ~ ~

  the first time I saw this in action was when ~3

  N,watching me pulling milk from a teat. Witho'& :, s',` "brought an

  unyielding cloven hoof down on t.

  rightly, stocky man ;~ "New, they got me on t'phone at Jenkinson's,

  just down "'road.' He gave me a smile of peculiar sweetness I studied

  Jeff Mallock as I always did with a kind of wonder. He had spent the

  greater part of his forty odd years delving in decomposing carcases,

  slashing nonchalantly with his knife at tuberculous abscesses, wallowing

  in infected blood and filthy uterine exudates yet he remained a model of

  health and fitness. He had the clear eyes and the smooth pink skin of a

  twenty-year-old and the effect was heightened by the untroubled serenity

  of his expression. To the best of my knowledge Jeff never took any

  hygienic precautions such as washing his hands and I have seen him

  enjoying a snack on his premises, seated on a heap of bones and gripping

  a cheese and onion sandwich with greasy fingers.

  He peered over the door at the calves. "Yes, yes, a clear case of

  stagnation of "'lungs. There's a lot of it about right now.'

  Mr Clark looked at me narrowly. "Lungs? You never said owl about lungs,

  young man.' Like all farmers he had complete faith in Jeff's instant

  diagnosis.

  I mumbled something. I had found it useless to argue this point. The

  knacker man's amazing ability to tell at a glance the cause of an

  animal's illness or death was a frequent source of embarrassment to me.

  No examination was necessary - he just knew, and of all his weird

  catalogue of diseases stagnation of t'lungs was the favourite.

  He turned to the farmer. "Well, ah'd better shift 'em now, Willie.

  Reckon they won't last much longer.'

  I bent down and lifted the head of the nearest calf. They were all

  shorthorns, three roans, a red and this one which was pure white. I

  passed my fingers over the hard little skull, feeling the tiny horn buds

  under the rough hair. When I withdrew my hand the head dropped limply on

  to the straw and it seemed to me that there was something of finality

  and resignation in the movement.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the roar of Jeff's engine. He was

  backing his wagon round to the door of the calf house and as the high

  unpainted boards darkened the entrance the atmosphere of gloom deepened.

  These little animals had suffered two traumatic journeys in their short

  lives. This was to be the last, the most fateful and the most sordid.

  When the knacker man came in he stood by the farmer, looking at me as I

  squatted in the straw among the prostrate creatures. They were both

  waiting for me to quit the place, leaving my failure behind me.

  "You know, Mr Clark,' I said, 'even if we could save one of them it

  would help to reduce your loss.'

  The farmer regarded me expressionlessly. "But they're all dyin', lad.

  You said so yourself.'

  "Yes, I did, I know, but the circumstances could be a bit different

  today.'

  "Ah know what it is.' He laughed suddenly. "You've got your heart set on

  havin'a go with them little tablets, haven't you?'

  I didn't answer but looked up at him with a mute appeal.

  He was silent for a few moments then he put a hand on Mallock's

  shoulder. "Jeff, if this young feller is that concerned about ma stock

  I'll 'ave to humour 'im. You're not bothered, are you?'

  "Nay, Willie, nay,' replied Jeff, completely unruffled, "I can pick 'em

  up tomorrow, just as easy.'

  "Right,' I said. "Let's have a look at the instructions.' I fished out

  the pamphlet from the tin and read rapidly, working out the dose for the

  weight of the calves. We'll have to give them a loading dose first. I

  think twelve tablets per calf then six every eight hours after that.'

  "How do you get 'em down their necks?' the farmer asked. "We'll have to

  crush them and shake them up in water. Can we go into the house to do

  that?'

  In the farm kitchen we borrowed Mrs Clark's potato masher and pounded

  the tablets until we had five initial doses measured out. Then we

  returned to the shed and began to administer them to the calves. We had

  to go carefully as the little creatures were so weak they had difficulty

  in swallowing, but the farmer held each head while I trickled the

  medicine into the side of the mouth.

  Jeff enjoyed every minute of it. He showed no desire to leave but

  produced a pipe richly decorated with nameless tissues, leaned on the

  top of the half door and, puffing happily, watched us with tranquil

  eyes. He was quite unperturbed by his wasted journey and when we had

  finished he climbed into his wagon and waved to us cordially.

  "I'll be back to pick 'em up in t'mornin', Willie,' he cried, quite

  without malice I'm sure. "There's no cure for stagnation of "'lungs.'

  I thought of his words next day as I drove back to the farm. He was just

  stating the fact; his supply of dog meat was merely being postponed for

  another twenty-four hours. But at least, I told myself, I had the

  satisfaction of having tried, and since I expected nothin