A Ni.W DOBQE. 85 



and the cash being urgently required, the lots would be 

 sold without the " least reserve." The staff of 

 " touters" were posted here and there in the crowd, to 

 bid and run up the prices. The sale commenced in 

 earnest. The horses were shown in a narrow carriage- 

 way, forming the entrance from a busy thoroughfare to 

 the yard. This was prepared for the crippled feet of 

 the screws with a deep bed of litter from the dung-heap, 

 and over that again plenty of clean straw, to hide side 

 bones and sand cracks, by burying the feet in the straw. 

 A smart, active-looking roan horse, clipped, and in good 

 condition, was led from his box on to the litter, to the 

 end of which he was led by the groom at a quiet walk, 

 who then trotted him back, and placed him in front of 

 the rostrum. Twenty pounds, five- and- twenty, thirty, 

 and thirty-five were the offers, until they reached sixty- 

 five for the roan gelding and his clothing (the clothing 

 of every horse was sold with them), and in less than two 

 hours every horse, including the one with a " sea cough," 

 was sold. 



The victims were pleased with the new style of 

 showing the horses ; there was none of that whipping, 

 shouting, and scrambling out of the way of their heels, 

 so common at some repositories, where the horse is sel- 

 dom permitted to show a distinct pace of walk, trot, or 

 canter ; and here I shall observe that, notwithstanding 

 few, even of the most finished connoisseurs in horse- 

 flesh, will close a bargain for a saddle-horse until they 

 have seen him " walk," I do not know one single horse- 



