PURCHASING HOESES. 47 



when he has become a perfect and amenable hunter. 

 Such have been my principal dealings with dealers. 



But these dealings have in some instances gone 

 far beyond. It often happens that a dealer, to obhge 

 his customer, and, we will say, to consult his own 

 interest at the same time, takes a horse of a gentle- 

 man in exchange. Now any deception on the part 

 of gentlemen one to another is, and is held to be, un- 

 worthy their character ; but towards a dealer it is 

 otherwise. The gentleman admits his horse has a 

 little will of his own ; the dealer, relying on the re- 

 presentation made, takes the horse, but finds on 

 trial he is a confirmed reprobate. Here is a case in 

 which I have bought horses from dealers — to use a 

 technical term, "at a price ;" but it in no shape fol- 

 lows that I would recommend others to do so. Com- 

 paratively small means and expensive ideas often go 

 hand-in-hand, but find it difficult to get on to their 

 mutual satisfaction. My pride determined me to 

 ride as fine horses as any man could have ; but never 

 having been a man of large means, I bought merely 

 good looks, and generally found a somewhat unusual 



