I rather regretted this afterwards, for very soon another veterinary case was brought in for treatment. This time it was our own faithful Muscat donkey; it was suffering terribly from the plague of flies that generally appear in the dry season. The poor creature’s legs were absolutely raw, and it had almost lost the power of standing. After the donkey boy had applied antiseptic washing and ointment I tried to fix on bandages, but donkey’s legs were evidently never made the right shape for that—I could not get the bandages to stick. Mr. Fisher was then consulted on the point, and of course, man-like, he suggested trousers. It really sounded very suitable, so I set to work on a pair, and when the donkey was put into them he looked most distinguished. The people gathered round in numbers to see it, and exclaimed, “What honour the European gives his animal!” There were several spectators who were not clothed so magnificently, and being afraid of giving the impression of extravagant waste, I explained to them the object of the garment and our ideas of kindness to dumb animals. The donkey did not take at all kindly to his first pair of trousers; perhaps they did not fit well; at all events, he kicked them to pieces in two days. A second pair was made on a modified scale, and whether or not the owner had cultivated more civilised instincts, it is not easy to affirm, but they remained intact till they were no longer needed, and the owner was able to run about and be up to his usual pranks again. Great care has to be exercised in administering drugs, as the people have absolutely no idea as to how they act on the system. Medicine intended to last for some days has often been swallowed down in one dose, as they argue that if so much physic can cure them at all, the sooner it is taken the better. Powders for internal use have been received with incredulity and sometimes scorn by those suffering from skin diseases, and they will insist on impressing the dispenser that they are quite well inside. If, with all their persuasion, they cannot obtain some blue stone to apply to the sore (which they simply love, as it causes them to scream uncontrollably), then they go off with their packet of powders and show the superiority of their wisdom to that of the white doctor by using it externally.