128 CONFESSION'S OF A HOUSE DEALEE. 



the highway and rob him of his money as they would 

 drug his liquor in a low public house, and then pick his 

 Docket, or induce him to make a bet upon some pal try 

 matter, get him to stake his money, and then run off 

 with it, or pretend to wrap it up for him, and substitute 

 forged notes and base sovereigns in place of his good 

 ones ; in short, their chief vocation is to get money in 

 any way or shape whatever, with a recklessness and 

 barefaced effrontery that would astonish the regular 

 sneaking town thief. 



One of their favourite dodges is to sell a drove of cattle 

 or sheep, and draw the money for them during a tempo- 

 rary absence of the owner, and then decamp. 



I remember a case of this description occurring at 

 Shrewsbury fair, where a grazier left a boy in charge of 

 thirteen cows, while he went to dine ; the lad was treated 

 to a show by one of the gang, while the whole drove of 

 cattle were examined by a customer, which they had 

 casually picked up, and sold to him as a bargain, being, 

 as they said, the last of a large number. 



When the owner returned from dinner he found the 

 "boy absent, and the dupe marking the cattle with his 

 own private mark in a busy bustling style, that told too 

 plainly he had paid for them. 



" What the devil are you doing with those cows ?" 

 said the owner. 



Dupe. " Why, you see what I'm doing marking 

 9 em to be sure." 



Owner." You'd better let 'em alone, I think, or I'll 

 mark you.'* 



