Chapter 26 Summary and Analysis

Called to Mr. Bailes' place to see an ailing cow, James Herriot approaches the modest house, preoccupied by what sort of obscure digestive ailment could be causing the ailment. As he nears the house, a huge dog, much larger than the average Collie and probably part Alsatian, leaps out of the garden, barks a loud WOOF and then disappears.

His nerves shattered, Herriot gets the bad news from Mr. Bailes that the cow is still blocked. Realizing that the laxative oil he'd given the cow had proven ineffective, the veterinarian gets his gastric lavage from the car, a long rubber stomach tube through which two gallons of a solution of warm water, salt and formalin. The next day he returns to the farm in a hopeful mood as he walks across the soft summer landscape, absorbing the sights and smells. As...