PURSUIT 163 



refreshmeut, my companion proceeded to find the young 

 man who had given him the information, while I went to 

 call on a horse-dealer in the town, with whom I some- 

 times had dealings. A little to my surprise, he told me 

 that " a Gent." had been there that morning in a phaeton 

 with a pair of horses, wishing to sell one of them or make 

 an exchange, but as they could not agree he had driven 

 away, and, as he believed, taken the road to Oxford. I 

 looked round this man's stables by candlelight, and 

 returned to the inn, where m.y companion soon joined me, 

 and corroborated the information of the horse-dealer as to 

 the route our game had gone. After a little consideration 

 on his part, he agreed to accompany me to Oxford to 

 endeavour to find the thief. I ordered a chaise out to 

 Wallingford, which we reached after the people had gone 

 to bed ; consequently, we were some time before we could 

 get another chaise, so that we did not arrive at Oxford 

 till between three and four o'clock in the morning. Xow 

 here, too, lived a horse-dealer, with whom I was ac- 

 quainted, in that part of the city, called Holywell ; I 

 therefore ordered the boy to drive us to the King's x\rms. 

 Upon alightnig, my friend, who was getting into years, 

 was very much fatigued, and wished to go to bed, which 

 he did. I having slept pretty well in the post-chaise, 

 preferred sitting by the kitchen-fire, which in such houses 

 are never suffered to go out. Rousing my self at daylight, 

 I walked into the yard, and, going into the only stable 

 that was open, beheld, to my agreeable surprise, my two 

 horses. 



I immediately resolved upon removing them myself to 

 the horse-dealer's who lived over the way, and went up 



