40 CONFESSIONS OF A HORSE DEALER. 



it ?" said the coper, as, when the horse turned round 

 suddenly, he threw up his head in the halter, and in- 

 stantly dropped into a low, cringing walk, as if suffering 

 the most excruciating agony in his hind quarters ; his 

 back was hent like a slack rope, and the back part of his 

 hocks nearly touched the ground. The groom tugged 

 vigorously at the halter to drag him along. 



" Come up, come up," said he ; but the poor creature 

 seemed more like " coming down." 



The coper now commenced to pinch his back-bone, 

 running his finger and thumb, from the fall of the 

 withers along the back, inch by inch. " I shall find it 

 directly," said he. " Oh here it is," he exclaimed, as, 

 when he came to the horse's loins, the horse fairly 

 groaned with agony under the unfeeling coper's cruel 

 pinch, on the exact joint of the vertebrae containing the 

 seat of injury ; and, turning to the unfortunate dupe, 

 " Why, you cussed horse-coping thief," says he, as he 

 mounted his pony, " did you think I was a flat, that 

 you should attempt to swindle me out of fifty guineas; 

 with a broken-backed screw of the very worst stamp ?" 



" !N"o, no ! I assure you," said the gentleman. 



" Oh, you be d d ! I'll send a policeman after 



you," said he, as he cantered off. 



" Better take my money, sir, and cut it, or you'll be 

 in a scrape," said the first coper. 



" "Well, take him, and give me the money." 



Coper counts out two sovereigns and five shillings 

 from an old greasy purse. " Give me the bob back for 



