and whoever noticed it would tell the boss, and the boss
would start up a conversation with the government in-
spector, and the two would stroll away. So in a trice the
carcass of the cow would be cleaned out, and the entrails
would have vanished; it was Jurgis's task to slide them
into the trap, calves and all, and on the floor below they
took out these "slunk" calves, and butchered them for
meat, and used even the skins of them.

One day a man slipped and hurt his leg; and that after-
noon, when the last of the cattle had been disposed of, and
the men were leaving, Jurgis was ordered to remain and
do some special work which this injured man had usually
done. It was late, almost dark, and the government in-
spectors had all gone, and there were only a dozen or two
of men on the floor. That day they had killed about four
thousand cattle, and these cattle had come in freight
trains from far states, and some of them had got hurt.
There were some with broken legs, and some with gored
sides; there were some that had died, from what cause no
one could say; and they were all to be disposed of, here
in darkness and silence. "Downers," the men called
them; and the packing-house had a special elevator upon
which they were raised to the killing-beds, where the gang
proceeded to handle them, with an air of businesslike
nonchalance which said plainer than any words that it was
a matter of everyday routine. It took a couple of hours
to get them out of the way, and in the end Jurgis saw
them go into the chilling-rooms with the rest of the meat,
being carefully scattered here and there so that they could
not be identified. When he came home that night he was
in a very sombre mood, having begun to see at last how
those might be right who had laughed at him for his faith
in America.

-74-