PURCHASI^'G nOT?SES. 87 



even worse tlian this. He had bought a horse of 

 one of these copers, or, as they are sometimes called, 

 *' horse chaunters." Of course he was done. The 

 fellow was very sorry, and very civil. Was sure "he 

 thought the horse what he represented him to be ; he 

 had not the money by him or he would return it 

 without hesitation ; but he would tell my friend what 

 lie ivould do. Colonel (somebody) had seen the horse 

 before my friend ; had come the day after he was 

 sold to buv him. He did not care a brass farthins: 

 for the Colonel ; he would tell him the gentleman he 

 had sold him to found him a bit too gay for his 

 riding; and that on receiving a five-pound note he 

 had taken him back." 



My friend's conscience made an appeal that this 

 was shifting the load from his own shoulders to those 

 of some one else. I am not writing a system of ethics, 

 so leave persons to decide how far my friend was justi- 

 fied in countenancing this mode, as he thought, of 

 getting out of a scrape ; be that as it may, the coper 

 came down next morning for the horse, and took 

 him away for the purpose of doing the Colonel. 



