308 A FOREIGNER. 



straight along : stop them short, or turn them round 

 quickly, the secret is out at once ; but this is of course 

 avoided when shown for sale. The horse I allude to 

 was a very good-looking harness-like horse, five-years- 

 old, and worth fifty if he had been sound : he was in 

 the hands, or at least was most of his time in the 

 hands, of one of these Mr. Rascals : he was not only 

 a good, but a superfine screw to him. On one of the 

 various occasions of this horse being sold, I was much 

 amused at the fellow's consummate impudence and 

 ingenuity. Some of my readers may have to learn 

 that a horse thus injured in the spine is, in dealers' 

 slang, termed a " German," why I know not : and 

 from this I suppose is by some also called a "foreigner." 

 On the occasion to which I allude, a gentleman was 

 very properly abusing the fellow who was an English- 

 man much to the credit of my country! for selling 

 him this horse. The fellow's reply was, first, " Did I 

 warrant him sound ? " " No, you did not : you said 

 you could not, as he had a corn." "Well, so he has 

 a corn." " Yes, you scoundrel, but you did not tell 

 me he was broken-backed," "No, nor he ain't bro- 

 ken-backed : he is only chinked a bit. Did not I tell 

 you he was a furriner, and that was why I sold him 

 so cheap ? " " Yes, you did ; but what has his being 

 a foreigner to do with his back?" "Why, everything: 

 if I told you a horse was a buck, I suppose you'd 



know his eyes warn't right, wouldn't you ?" " No, 



indeed I should not." "Why, then, more's the pity ! 

 I say, Jem (continued the fellow to some friend going 

 by), I sold the furriner to this gemman ; told him he 

 was one ; and now he wants to know what that has to 

 do with his back ! " " Does he ?" said 'the fellow ; " let 

 him get on him an' he'll know." " Now," says Mr. 



