THE BITER BIT. 325 



dandling the tassel in a careless sort of way, and 

 casually said to the gentleman who sat opposite to 

 him : 



' How many ends are there on this tassel ?' 



To which his friend replied : 



' Perhaps there are sixty.' 



' Well,' said Norman, ' I give the correct number 

 nearer than anyone else for a pony.' 



' I am a pretty good guesser generally,' quoth the 

 other, ■ and I don't mind; I will lay it you, and I will 

 tell nearer than you, if you will give the number 

 first.' 



The bet was made. Norman said he should think 

 there were ' forty-nine,' fearing to give the exact 

 number, lest it should have been looked upon as 

 suspicious. The other said he would make it even 

 numbers, and say ' fifty,' and, of course, won. At 

 this Buchanan was furious. He appealed to his 

 friends to know if he were called upon to pay, alleging 

 that his opponent had been betting on a certainty, as 

 he could not have guessed the exact number without 

 knowing it. But it was a clear case of diamond cut 

 diamond, or ' the biter bit,' and they were all against 

 him. He had to pay, got well laughed at for his 

 pains, and sought refuge in his ulster and somno- 

 lency. 



