208 FOX-HUNTING 



can. In the same way the buyer must give as 

 little as possible, and he is not to be blamed 

 for giving a much lower price than the owner 

 thinks the animal is worth. With most other 

 things there is a fixed value, and it would be 

 dishonest to sell at a much higher or to buy at 

 a much lower price. 



A horse-dealing transaction is supposed to lead 

 the most straightforward man from the path of 

 honesty, but I do not see any reason for him 

 being thus led astray. The man who gets the 

 worst of a bargain is very liable to say or think 

 he has been cheated, forgetting that he has used 

 all his special knowledge to turn the balance in 

 his favour, and has tried his utmost to get the 

 better of the other party. 



In my opinion, the ethics of horse-dealing are 

 as plain as in any other business, and the only 

 complication is when men try to deal without 

 having any experience in the trade. There is 

 hardly any man who has ever been astride of a 

 horse who does not think himself a competent 

 judge of the animal's good and bad points. 

 This little conceit generally costs money before 

 the man is fully aware of his own ignorance, 



