THIEVING DOGS AND HORSES 337 



be far higher than he could afford. The horse dealer, 

 however, at once came up, and, while praising the horse, 

 named such a low price for it that the gentleman could 

 hardly believe his ears, and made sure the animal must 

 have some serious drawback. He examined it carefully 

 all over, but could find no drawback anywhere— it was 

 beautifully proportioned, and its knees were quite sound. 

 The dealer, mistaking the reason of his silence, w r as so 

 anxious to have the bargain concluded that he agreed to 

 accept a still smaller sum, and the young man, feeling 

 that there was some mystery somewhere, paid the money 

 down, and the following morning took the Great North 

 Eoad to Edinburgh. 



For the first few miles out of London the way was 

 full of people, and no man was better mounted than 

 himself, or had a horse with better paces. In fact, the 

 more pleased the young man got, the more puzzled he 

 became. As they approached Finchley Common the 

 number of riders fell off, and by the time the young man 

 reached a dip in the road not a soul was in sight but a 

 clergyman driving a one-horse chaise, which was travel- 

 ling in the opposite direction. As they came close to each 

 other, the ridden horse stopped dead in front of the driven 

 one, thus preventing it from going on its way. The 

 clergyman, taking for granted that he had to do with one 

 of the highwaymen who in those days were the terror of 

 every country district, quietly got out his purse, and 

 assured the young man, who all this while was speechless 

 from astonishment, that it would not be necessary for 

 him to use force. The shame caused by this remark 

 loosened the rider's tongue, and, with a hasty apology and 

 a confused explanation, he whipped up his horse and 

 went his way. 



On the next occasion, however, that the horse thought 

 fit to exercise the profession for which he had been edu- 

 cated, things took a graver turn. This time he halted in front 

 of a coach, and before his rider knew what he was at, or was 

 R z 



