The boys were apprehensive that other dogs would pick upon Rover, now that he was disabled, and no longer able to defend himself or make his escape; but it was just the reverse. He found the warmest sympathy everywhere. When, in company with other dogs, he became tired and fell behind, they would stop and wait for him to come up; and if any strange dog had imposed upon Rover, they would have torn him to pieces in a moment.
Rich made him a wooden leg, carved to match one of his own. At first he held it up altogether, but after a while would use it to stand upon, and put it down when he became tired, and walk a little; then hold it up and run. He soon found that by its aid he could jump up on Dan.
It improved his looks wonderfully, as it prevented his hip from dropping, and Dan said "that he always wanted it on when they or he had company." Rover was a water spaniel, and Dan had to take the leg off when he went into the water, as it buoyed up his hinder parts, and interfered with swimming.
CHAPTER XVIII. DAN WANTS TO KNOW HIMSELF.
Dan Clemens had taken at the first very little interest in the peculiar studies and experiments of his teacher; indeed, they were to him, a kindly-affectionate boy, rather revolting; but after the successful operation upon Rover, his feelings underwent a complete change; he was enraptured with the skill, firmness, and tender feeling manifested by Rich, spent a great deal of time at the dissecting table, and manifested a strong desire to obtain, at least, some general knowledge in respect to the mechanism of his own frame.
One evening he was seated in the harness-room, watching Rich, who was examining the stump of Rover's leg, that had become sore from the pressure of the wooden substitute, and devising some way to remedy it, when he suddenly exclaimed,—
"Mr. Richardson, how do they cut off a man's leg?"
"Very much as I did that dog's; only they use a tourniquet to compress the vessels and stop the circulation, then cut through the flesh, saw off the bones, and put ligatures on the ends of the arteries."