272 Among Men and Horses. 



his own counsel. Those of my readers who are old enough 

 to remember the introduction of the 'tape,' can no doubt 

 call to mind many occasions on which, instead of an intel- 

 ligible row of words being presented on the long and narrow 

 strip of paper, the letters and figures came up in a seemingly 

 hopeless state of confusion. While punters at gambling clubs 

 were eagerly waiting for the result of a race, such a joke on 

 the part of the machine, was taken by them in anything but 

 good part, and the interruption instead of being hailed as 

 a respite from the labour of betting, always acted as a stimul- 

 ant, until the tape had corrected itself and had repeated 

 its lesson correctly. One day when in London, Dave Moss 

 happened to look at the jumbled mess which the tape dis- 

 closed at that moment. He continued gazing on it, until at 

 last, by a marvellous inspiration he saw how to make sense 

 out of the confusion. Like unto one of his own prophets in 

 ancient days, the spirit of inspiration waxed so strong in 

 him that he explained the riddle unto the people. And 

 then he went to his tent or his apartments and cursed him- 

 self for having been a fool for teaching his brethren to read 

 riddles set them by machines, instead of backing the winner 

 each time to a certainty, without anyone else being the wiser. 

 The inhabitants of Johannesburg are proud of the sharp- 

 ness of their ' boys,' and tell the visitor wonderful tales of 

 these practitioners cheating the Boers (the Dutch farmer is 

 the recognised victim) at the three-card trick, faro, and other 

 games of skill. I really must warn those of my readers who 

 intend to go to South Africa, to be prepared for the ready 

 reckoner story, which the new-comer is doomed to hear from 

 ten to a hundred times a day, according to the company he 

 frequents. It runs thus : A Jew (they say it was Ikey Son- 

 nenberg ; but in this case I think the vox populi is a lying 

 spirit ; for my Vryburg friend is incapable of a shabby trick), 

 having concluded the purchase of a number of articles — 

 bullocks, sheep, bags of corn, or it does not matter what — 

 from a Boer, made up the account greatly in his own favour, 



