202 SPORTING STORIES 



though no doubt he had been very badly used, and the 

 victim of clerical craft left the Court a sadder and a wiser 

 man. 



The Marquis of Hastings, sharp as he fancied himself, 

 was once " had " by a dealer, though not to the extent the 

 dealer intended or expected. The latter had a very showy- 

 looking horse named Glenduck that had won a sprint race 

 at one of the Newmarket meetings, and Lord Hastings, 

 without consulting John Day, his trainer, agreed to give 

 ^2700 for it. This was on the eve of departure from the 

 meeting. Without a moment's delay, the dealer sent the 

 horse to Day's stables, and returned to London. The sight 

 of the animal was the first intimation Day had of its purchase. 

 Suspecting that something was wrong, John struck the 

 animal sharply across the belly with his walking-stick, 

 which made him cough violently, revealing what John had 

 suspected, that the horse was broken-winded. Early next 

 morning, Day interviewed the Marquis at his town house, 

 and the result was that the bargain was to be cancelled 

 on the best terms possible. John was not too soon, for at 

 ten o'clock the dealer called for his cheque. After some 

 blustering, he had to cave in, and take i^200 as an offset. 

 You may be sure that John Day got his blessings. 



I remember hearing another story in which the tables 

 were turned on the horse-dealer. The purchaser had bought 

 a good-looking horse for £^0, and thought he had made 

 a rare bargain. He paid the money on the spot, and 

 had the horse led to his stables at once, lest the vendor 

 should repent of his short-sightedness in selling the horse 

 so cheap. Meeting a friend on his way home, he asked 

 him to come and inspect the new purchase. The friend, 

 who was an expert in horse-flesh, examined the horse 

 closely, and then exclaimed, " Why, my dear fellow, you've 

 been swindled : the horse is blind." At first the purchaser 

 refused to believe this statement, but it was proved to be 

 beyond doubt. Thereupon he at once rushed out in 

 search of the vendor. He found him, and going up to him 

 said, " Look here, I find I paid you a pound too much. 

 I've given you £^1 instead of £10." "I don't think 

 you have," replied the unsuspecting dealer ; " but here 



