HORSE-DEALERS AND STEALERS 199 



him, but proposed, with "true Irish hospitality," that he 

 should come and have a bit of dinner with him and his 

 wife, as it was just ready. After some demur, Smith con- 

 sented. Dinner over, whisky punch came on. The dealer 

 was a very amusing fellow, and time slipped away ; so did 

 the punch, and ultimately the guest's memory with it. 



Next morning he awoke at his hotel with no idea as to 

 how he got there, and with a splitting headache. While he 

 was trying to collect his thoughts, there was a knock at the 

 door, and at the cry of " Come in ! " a shock-headed 

 individual entered. " Please, yer honour, Fve brought the 

 horse, and master says I'm to take a cheque for ^^150 back 

 with me." " Cheque ! What the devil do you mean ? " 

 demanded the astonished Saxon. " Sure, sir, its the baste 

 you bought last night." " But I refused the horse." " So 

 you did at first — ah, whist now ! but I thought your honour 

 had had a drop of the cratur when you saw me ride him 

 over the wall at the back of the pratie patch ; for ye couldn't 

 stand but for the master's arm, and was for putting the 

 wrong end of the cigar in your mouth. But ye bought it 

 fair and square, and it was meself that heard it, and saw ye 

 clasp hands on the bargain. And, sure, as I carried you to 

 the car the master said, ' Take the horse early in the 

 mornin', Mike, and the gentleman will give ye the cheque, 

 and a thrifle for yourself.' So I'll take the cheque, and be 

 getting back home again." Finding he was fairly in for 

 it, and not caring for the story to get abroad, he took the 

 horse, which, though not a beauty to look at, proved a good 

 one to go. 



It is never safe for an amateur to dabble in horse- 

 dealing ; even the late Sir George Stephens, shrewd lawyer 

 though he was, and well versed in horse-lore too, as he 

 showed in his racy book, Adventures of a Gentleman in 

 Search of a Horse, was nevertheless a victim to the tricks 

 of the dealers. 



One morning Sir George's eye was caught by an ad- 

 vertisement in the Times, that a chestnut horse was for 

 sale at a livery-stable of high respectability. He went to 

 the place, and found a handsome animal, with good action, 

 and not a fault or a blemish that he could discover. He 



