406 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



"planting" tlie horse. All this is illegal; for the 

 agent is trustee for the seller, and a trustee cannot 

 purchase the property entrusted to his care. But it 

 is impossible to guard oneself effectually against the 

 fraud, except by booking the animal at a price which 

 you know approaches within five or ten pounds of his 

 real worth. If he remains unsold for a week, remove 

 him elsewhere. In the spring or summer, a week 

 is ample time to find a customer, if a fancy price is 

 not demanded ; and you may safely infer from longer 

 delay, either that the agent wishes to tire you into 

 selling at Ids price, and has, perhaps, stigmatized the 

 horse, to keep off other customers, or else that his 

 customers are not sufiiciently numerous to make a 

 market. It is useless expense to send a vicious 

 horse, or one decidedly unsound, to any place for 

 private sale : the dealers have the run of all the 

 commission stables, and know the character of every 

 horse that stands there : if his owner is not " one of 

 the trade," his sins will be published at Charing 

 Cross within a week. A horse of this description 

 will only find a sale at the hammer ; and even there 

 he is sure to produce more than he is worth. I 

 never sold but one unsound horse at commission sta- 



