TURN AND TURN ABOUT. 385 



excuse made on his part, but be said at once, " Send 

 iii 111 back, I'll get you out of him : " and so he would, 

 lie would give you "a dig" to-day, and give some 

 one else a double-distilled one to-morrow to get you 

 out of it. The last he contrived to give to somebody he 

 did not care about, or to some greenhorn whom he 

 could talk into believing he had done him a favour. 

 I had had so many deals with him that I thought he 

 would not attempt or wish to do me : but the " ruling 

 passion" once (and I must say only once) was too 

 strong for him. 



I went to see a gentleman's stud sold. I saw a 

 very fine brown horse that struck my fancy. I went 

 up to our friend of the sunny smile, and asked about 

 the horse. He was all and everything I could wish. " Is 

 he sound?" said I, "and what may I bid for him?" 

 "He is sound," said Sunny, " and buy him at any- 

 thing under fifty." He was knocked down to me at 

 forty-eight. I followed my purchase into the stable, 

 liked him much, and he was apparently as sound a 

 horse as I ever saw or handled. After the sale, I 

 went to the stable to get him saddled to ride him 

 home. I now saw he had a favourite leg or foot 

 that he was nursing under the manger. I guessed 

 the truth at once, and saw that he was lame in walk- 

 ing out of the stable. It is true he was sold without 

 warranty, but I bought him on Sunny's word, and I 

 determined he should make it good. Not choosing 

 to expose my purchase or myself before some hundred 

 people, I gave him on mounting a kick with both heels, 

 and cantered him out of the yard. The next morning 

 I found him, of course, as lame as a tree. I got on 

 him, and cantered him into as I had out of the yard, 

 dismounted, turned him loose, and told Sunny, "there 



VOL. i. c c 



