"'Throw him over the side, if you want—I don't give a damn. But I guess you'll need someone to help you out, so go to it.'
"I was overjoyed. Just then Pinero came aft. The horse doctor turned to him and said: 'Look here, Pinero, I've seen lots of dirty work in my life, but that exhibition of yours on the dock is about the filthiest I've seen in a long time. Now, just take a tip from me. That young fellow, Smith, out of the Cavalry, from now on is working for me, and you lay your hands off of him. If I find you meddling with him, I'll push that silly grin of yours down your throat, until it chokes you. Now that's all I got to say, lay off of him. Do you understand?'
"Pinero started to mumble excuses, but the Doctor shut him up with 'I don't want to hear any more. I'm off o' you for life, but remember what I tell you. Steer clear from the two o' us, sabe?'
"I guess the second foreman sabied all right, because he vouchsafed no answer. My heart warmed to 'Doc' Casey and I slipped away unobserved.
"The next morning the Doctor fixed me up with court plaster and I was installed as Assistant Veterinarian at $30.00 for the trip. I was to sleep in 'Doc' Casey's stateroom, where he had his medicine stock, but before entering the room 'Doc' said to me: 'Take this bucket of water; put a few drops of creosote in it, and go aft on the hatch and take a good bath, and throw your underwear away.'
"I asked him his reason. He answered: 'When you take your shirt off, take a good look at it and you'll see why.'
"I began to feel itchy all over but minutely followed his instructions.
"I took my shirt off. One look was enough. It was alive, and over the rail it went. 'Doc' loaned me a white suit and took charge of my outer clothing. What he did with them I don't know, but that afternoon he returned them to me. They were shrunk a size smaller, but they were clean.
"Five days out we ran into a squall and our work was cut out for us. We were greatly overloaded and had to put horses on the decks in wooden stalls. The ship was lurching and pitching, and huge seas were belching over the gunwales.
"Several of the wooden stalls gave way and the horses got loose on the deck. With every lurch of the ship horses went down, kicking and snorting, and slid over the inclined deck, hitting against winches and hatchways, scraping their hide off. It was worth a man's life to get into that mess.