28 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



examined and passed aS sound : the purchaser resold 

 him for more than he had given me for him ; and I 

 afterwards learnt that he was sold six times over 

 that summer, and always returned for the same rea- 

 son ! I took an opportunity of asking the gentle- 

 man from whom I bought him, how he had brought 

 him into such good condition ? 



" Nothing more easy — I fed him for a month on 

 chopped clover, bran, and malt, fermented by a little 

 yeast." 



This is the way to pickle a horse for a friend ! 



Soon after the first edition appeared, I had an 

 opportunity of inquiring into the subsequent history 

 of this horse. It is worth mentioning. He con- 

 tinued sickly for several months : towards winter he 

 was sent down into the salt marshes, where he re- 

 mained nearly a year. On being taken up, his 

 stomach had recovered its tone ; he worked well and 

 fed heartily, and ever since ke has proved a useful, 

 though Rot a ^'lasting" horse. 



But to resume my narrative. I mounted many a 

 slug and many another dandy before I again ven- 

 tured to buy, and examined at least ten times more 

 than I mounted. The "picture of a horse" was the 



