118 The Selection and 



declared I wished to take away the character of 

 his horses, and what was more, called me a muff, 

 and a fool, as his horses were perfectly sound, 

 and I could not know whether they had spavins 

 or anything else, as I had not put a hand upon 

 them. He was, however, brought to a little, by 

 my telling him the statement was much the 

 worse for him if the defects were so plain that 

 they needed no manipulation to confirm the ap- 

 pearances already present. He protested, how- 

 ever, his ignorance of anything wrong, and I 

 advised him to take them to a respectable veteri- 

 nary surgeon for examination, and show me the 

 report. I here handed him my card, when he 

 became perfectly silent, and got out of my sight 

 as quickly as possible. 



Later in the day several friends, at my request, 

 called upon the dealer and inquired for animals 

 of the kind. All that I had seen were brought 

 out, and upon each occasion declared as before 

 sound and immaculate. 



To say there are no honest horse-dealers would 

 be a gross calumny, but I must express my sus- 

 picion that many are so accustomed to chant 

 the praises of sound animals that is, sound to the 

 best of their knowledge and belief that one may 

 ascribe such a mistake as just related to a lapsus 

 linguae. We must therefore look over it accor- 

 dingly, and of course at the same time the 

 animals upon which such vile praise has been 

 bestowed. 



