62 CONFESSIONS OF A HOUSE DEALER. 



" Gentlemen, make me an offer for the ehesnut geld- 

 ing," is repeated by the auctioneer, and a voice responds : 



" Twenty pounds." 



That part of the crowd who have been favourably 

 impressed by the animal's appearance, and who them- 

 selves would have made an offer, but for their want of 

 confidence in their own judgment, turn sharply round 

 to the place from whence the sound proceeds, and find 

 out that the dealing-looking man has evidently made 

 up his mind to buy the horse at his value ; therefore, 

 they imagine that there can be no harm in following up 

 his bid ; and, after all, the horse cannot be more than 

 a pound or guinea too dear, for the man who examined 

 him appears perfectly satisfied with his quality and his 

 merits, and so the bidding goes on briskly, until it 

 reaches an amount likely to be the utmost limits to 

 which it is probable the genuine bidder will go. The 

 hammer falls to his last bid, the clerk requires instant 

 payment, and the dealing man is non est. 



In this instance, which came under my notice, when 

 the horse was examined he was found to be a thorough 

 screw, being broken- winded, and not worth more than 

 four pounds, although it ad been run up to twenty- 

 eight guineas by the owner and his confederates, who, 

 although they ^went through the mockery of an examina- 

 tion, never coughed the horse, lest the short dry sound 

 (peculiar to the broken- winded horse) which would be 

 thereby produced, might be heard by some practised 

 ear in the crowd, in which case it would be buzzed 

 about, and prevent the sale of the horse. 



