consequence of my having received the appointment of medical attendant
to that establishment that I buried myself in the west, instead of
settling down in my native State of Massachusetts.

Poor Gagtooth was one of my first surgical patients. It came about in
this wise. At the foundry, two days in the week, viz., Tuesdays and
Fridays, were chiefly devoted to what is called "casting." On these
days it was necessary to convey large masses of melted iron, in vessels
specially manufactured for that purpose, from one end of the moulding
shop to the other. It was, of course, very desirable that the metal
should not be allowed to cool while in transit, and that as little time
as possible should be lost in transferring it from the furnace to the
moulds. For this purpose Gagtooth's services were frequently called
into requisition, as he was by far the strongest man about the place,
and could without assistance carry one end of one of the vessels, which
was considered pretty good work for two ordinary men.

Well, one unlucky Friday afternoon he was hard at work at this
employment, and as was usual with all the hands in the moulding shop at
such times, he was stripped naked from the waist upwards. He was
gallantly supporting one end of one of the large receptacles already
mentioned, which happened to be rather fuller than usual of the red-hot
molten metal. He had nearly reached the moulding-box into which the
contents of the vessel were to be poured, when he stumbled against a
piece of scantling which was lying in his way. He fell, and as a
necessary consequence his end of the vessel fell likewise, spilling the
contents all over his body, which was literally deluged by the red,
hissing, boiling liquid fire. It must have seemed to the terror-stricken
onlookers like a bath of blood.