178 OSTRICH-FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



may see Avealtliy men who do nothing but what would 

 appear to him to be speculating. He must not be mis- 

 led : these men do not speculate : they are stock-dealers, 

 alias middlemen, who, if successful, work as hard at their 

 business as any farmer, have generally a great know- 

 ledge of the country and of every man's affairs in their 

 district, are excellent judges of stock, and in the 

 great majority of cases know before they buy where 

 they can sell again, even if they are not, as is often the 

 case, buying on commission. But even if they do buy 

 on spec, they have command of money, and it is im- 

 material to them whether they wait one or two j-ears for 

 a sale, provided they can eventually make a correspond- 

 ing profit. But not so Juvenis, who, perhaps at a sale, 

 hearing people exclaim, " How cheap ! — by Jove, there 

 is money to be made on these ! " gets tempted, and buys 

 on credit. He gets the stock home, and tells all his 

 neighbours what a spec he has made. They come and 

 look at them ; all agree how cheap, but somehow do not 

 buy. " Never mind," thinks Juvenis, '^ there's Mr. B., 

 of H — . I Avill go over and see him. I know he 

 wants some of this kind of stock :" but, strange to say, 

 w^hen he gets to H., he finds B. bought what he 

 wanted only a few days ago, and, stranger still, at 

 even a lower figm-e than Juvenis gave ; and in the 

 course of conversation B. says, *^ If I were you, I 



