374 NICKEM ON ANOTHER TACK. 



variety of causes the owner may offer to sell him 

 for less than he knows he is worth : here a Mr. Med- 

 dler will again come into use. 



Now, in these cases, the chance of detection of course 

 depends a great deal on whether the horse is sold to 

 remain in the neighbourhood or not ; and still more, on 

 whether the seller is remaining there, or going away, or 

 abroad. If the latter, God help him ! for he is lucky if he 

 does not get " a dig " to his heart's content. If he is 

 likely to remain, more caution is necessary, and he may 

 get off with half his skin instead of being regularly 

 flayed : but in either case, Nickem " makes assurance 

 doubly sure : " he won't give a chance away. Do not 

 suppose you will be able to detect him in any act of 

 rascality he may commit ; he will be too deep for 

 you : nor suppose he will even allow a trap to be laid 

 for him ; he is too deep for that too. 



This reminds me of an old country gentleman who 

 came to London : he had heard a great deal of the 

 handy practices of pickpockets, and thought if he 

 could but detect one, what a story it would be to take 

 to Green Goose Hall ! His good lady, Mrs. Oakapple, 

 would hail him a second Munchausen : the windmill 

 exploits of La Mancha's knight, that had whilom ex- 

 panded the eyes of the expanding Oakapples junior, 

 would sink into insignificance before the hardihood of 

 their stalwart pa, who had taken a live pickpocket ! 

 But no such glorious triumph awaited the laudable 

 efforts of the venerable Oakapple. Out he sallied, 

 and having heard that a well-known print and carica- 

 ture shop (or rather the pathway in front of it) was 

 the arena where many blue bird's-eye fogies had been 

 abstracted, away he went to the scene of action, his 

 nerves strung to deeds of daring, if daring might be 



