YOUNG DEVILS. 219 



in harness and sound, and they shall be so to you: 

 but as to their goodness, you must take your chance 

 of that." My friend bought the young devils, as 

 Wimbush called them, and they turned out well: 

 but supposing they had proved diametrically the re- 

 verse, it would have been no fault of his : he could 

 not tell what effect different work and different treat- 

 ment might produce : all he could be expected to do, 

 in truth all he could do, was to put such horses in his 

 customer's hands, that, as far as he had seen or knew 

 of them, were likely to answer the purpose for which 

 they were designed. He has then done all in his 

 power ; his customer has got what he no doubt con- 

 siders the great desideratum to get, young sound 

 horses, and must keep them for better for worse, as 

 the thing may turn out : they may be very desirable 

 attainments : I can only say I never bought such in a 

 general way for my own. use, nor ever will, nor would 

 the dealer for his: he knows better; he buys such 

 for sale, because he knows the generality of his cus- 

 tomers will buy none other of him, and of course his 

 interest is to meet their wishes and opinions : his own 

 upon this subject he wisely keeps to himself: he knows, 

 and I know, that a young horse from his stable cannot 

 be fit to do one day's moderate work under at least 

 six weeks from the time of his being purchased. Few 

 persons are aware of this ; and even those who are 

 so are often impatient to get their new purchase to 

 work, and trust to their luck that he does not get 

 amiss in consequence. Hence the great number who 

 get all sorts of diseases soon after being put to work. 

 On this subject, however, more anon. 



Very few persons are at all aware of the treat* 

 merit a young valuable horse has undergone before 



