WILLIAM EASTON 161 



out a Hawkstone yearling, with other stock, on the 

 same ship with young Smith of Whimple. 



Thus they made the voyage all the way to New 

 York, and when the sale came on, Clack's lots were 

 earlier in the catalogue than Smith's, who, wanting to 

 set a good price on Hawkstone's stock, bid up freely 

 for Clack's yearling by that horse. In so doing he 

 was fairly caught by the auctioneer and the yearling 

 was knocked down to him at 2500 dollars. In vain 

 did he ask Clack to let him off this deal, for the yearling 

 had not really belonged to Clack and the awful sequel 

 was that when the Whimple Hawkstones came up they 

 realised very little more than this one animal had been 

 bought for. 



What happened to the bought one I do not know, 

 but it is certain that old Smith had to be cabled to for 

 money to get his son home, and the truth was never 

 told to the old man, though I was sorely tempted to 

 tell it. He was told by his son that the expenses of 

 the sale had been such as to absorb all the receipts 

 and I who had arranged the sale came in for conse- 

 quent blame from the old man. It is almost incredible 

 that two neighbours in Devonshire should have taken 

 their yearlings out on the same ship to sell in America 

 with such a ridiculous result. The marvellous thing 

 was, that sale, got up as it was in hotch-potch style, 

 was a great success, resulting in a total sum of ,30,000. 



William Easton, as I have stated, was a great 

 auctioneer, and though, as Lord Wyfold, who was 

 the Chairman of Tattersalls of New York, knows, he 

 was quite out of control in business matters, he had 

 other elements of greatness, as I know. 



A good many years later he came over to London 



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