the iron in the coals. When it glowed he took it out,
cut off the glowing piece on the chisel in his anvil, caught it up in a
pair of tongs and thrust it back into the fire. Then he waited with his
hands hanging idly while Jud pulled the pole of the old bellows until it
creaked and groaned and the fire spouted sparks.

When the iron was growing fluffy white, the smith caught it up in his
tongs, lifted it from the fire, flung off a shower of hissing sparks and
began to hammer, drawing it out and beating it around the horn of the
anvil until presently it became a rough flat shoe.

The iron was cooling, and he put it back into the coals. When it was hot
again, he turned the calks, punched the nail holes and carried it
glowing to where the horse stood, held it an instant to the hoof, noted
the changes to be made, and thrust it back into the fire.

A moment later the hissing shoe was plunged into a tub of water by the
anvil, and then thrown steaming to the floor. Ump picked it up, passed
his finger over it and then set it against El Mahdi's foot. It was a
trifle narrow at the heel, and Ump pitched it back to the smith,
spreading his fingers to indicate the defect. Old Christian sprung the
calks on the horn of the anvil, and returned the shoe. The hunchback
thrust his hand between the calks, raised the shoe and squinted along
its surface to see if it were entirely level. Then he nodded his head.

The blacksmith went over to the wall, and began to take down a paper
box. The hunchback saw him and turned under the horse. "We can't risk a
store nail," he said. "You'll have to make 'em."

For the first time the man spoke. "No iron," he answered.

Ump arose and began to look over the shop. Presently he found an old
scythe blade and threw it to the smith. "That'll do," he said; "take the
back."

Old Christian broke the strip of iron from the scythe blade and heating
it in his forge, made the nails, hammering them into shape, and cutting
them from the rod until he had a dozen lying by the anvil. When they
were cool, he gathered them in his hand, smoothed the points, and went
over to El Mahdi.

The old man lifted the horse's foot, and set it on his knee, and Ump
arose and stood over him. Then he shod the horse as the hunchback
directed, paring the hoof and setting the nails evenly through the outer
rim, clipping the nail ends, and clinching them by doubling the cut
points. Then he smoothed the hoof with his great file and the