Chapter 9 Summary

The times at Skedale House are not always serious. Tristan has added quite a bit of hilarity as he continually plays practical jokes on Herriot. His favorite joke is to impersonate a Dale farmer with an impossible case in the middle of the night, and Herriot always falls for it. After Herriot unsuccessfully tries the same joke on Tristan, they are both called out to fix a cow's eversion, a prolapse of the uterus that can happen after a strenuous birth. The entire uterus ends up outside the cow and needs to be cleaned and replaced as quickly as possible.

This particular prolapse is serious, and it takes Herriot and Tristan a long time to replace the uterus. The work is hard, and after they are done, they are both exhausted. Herriot warns Tristan that prolapses can reoccur and then sees his chance...