.

Bleeding and a dose of calomel were always considered indispensable by
the "old boss," and as a matter of course, Sam followed in his
footsteps.

On one occasion the old doctor was ill himself, so as to be unable to
attend to his patients. A slave, with pass in hand, called to receive
medical advice, and the master told Sam to examine him and see what he
wanted. This delighted him beyond measure, for although he had been
acting his part in the way of giving out medicine as the master ordered
it, he had never been called upon by the latter to examine a patient,
and this seemed to convince him after all that he was no sham doctor.
As might have been expected, he cut a rare figure in his first
examination. Placing himself directly opposite his patient, and folding
his arms across his breast, looking very knowingly, he began,--

"What's de matter wid you?"

"I is sick."

"Where is you sick?"

"Here," replied the man, putting his hand upon his stomach.

"Put out your tongue," continued the doctor.

The man ran out his tongue at full length.

"Let me feel your pulse;" at the same time taking his patient's hand in
his, and placing his fingers upon his pulse, he said,--

"Ah! your case is a bad one; ef I don't do something for you, and dat
pretty quick, you'll be a gone coons and dat's sartin."

At this the man appeared frightened, and inquired what was the matter
with him, in answer to which Sam said,

"I done told dat your case is a bad one, and dat's enuff."

On Sam's returning to his master's bedside, the latter said,

"Well, Sam, what do you think is the matter with him?"

"His stomach is out ob order, sar," he replied.

"What do you think had better be done for him?"

"I tink I'd better bleed him and gib him a dose ob calomel," returned
Sam.

So, to the latter's gratification, the master let him have his own way.

On one occasion, when making pills and ointment, Sam made a great
mistake. He got the preparations for both mixed together, so that he
could not legitimately make either. But fearing that if he threw the
stuff away, his master would flog him, and being afraid to inform his
superior of the mistake, he resolved to make the whole batch of pill
and ointment stuff into pills. He well knew that the powder over the
pills would hide the inside, and the fact that most persons shut their
eyes when taking such medicine led the young doctor to feel that all
would be right in the end. Therefore Sam