hat water?"

"I dunno' as I have. I've seen 'em standing in it."

"Animals have remarkable subjective intelligence--what you would term
instincts. It would be extremely interesting to determine whether such
instincts have prevented them from drinking water unfit for animal
consumption."

"Unfit for animal consumption? By gosh, that's what killed our cow, I
reckon! We found her lyin' by the spring, cold an' stiff, two days
ago!"

"Have you buried the carcass?"

"Not much. Turkey-buzzards attend to our cow funerals."

"Of course. You look excited, my friend."

"I am. We've lost other cattle and colts in this yere pasture."

"Ah!" murmured the Professor. His expression became benignant.

"We s'posed," continued Uncle Jake, "that they died o' old age."

"You mentioned colts?"

"I did so. Colts die anyhow and anyway. It's a solid fact that we've
lost more animals in this pasture than anywheres else. I'll take my
oath to that."

"Good!" said the Professor heartily. "You have given to me information
of value."

The Professor returned to the corrals. Under the trees, close to the
creek, in whose cooling waters stood bottles of beer and wine, a
tender calf was being barbecued. Upon long willow spits sizzled and
frizzled toothsome morsels, made more toothsome by the addition of a
sauce cunningly compounded of chillies, tomatoes, and the pungent
onion. The Professor made a noble meal. He was delighted to observe
how few of the guests slaked their thirst with water, and he quoted
the famous quatrain:

"Let princes revel at the pump;
Let peers with ponds make free;
But whisky, beer, or even wine,
Is good enough for me."

After the _rodeo_, the Professor lighted a large cigar and
composed himself under a live-oak. His mind, ever active, was
wandering through the home-pasture seeking the fatal spring. He was
trying to estimate the effect of silicious matter upon the mucous
membrane of a cow, when he saw Dan, sombrero in hand, bowing low
before him.

"Hello!" said the Professor, his eye resting professionally upon Dan's
splendid proportions. What a "subject" to cut up! What a skeleton to
articulate!

"Perfessor!" said Dan, "I want you to hev a look at me."

The Professor looked at him.

"My young friend," he said genially, "you're worth looking at. Do you
drink water?"

"When I can't git nothing else," replied Dan.

"Water it is, and lots of it, except when I strike to