DISHONEST AUCTIONEER. 313 



strode away from the blue-coated gentleman, and landed 

 me safe in the castle at Cape Town. The oracular official, 

 however, knew me perfectly well, and had it not hap- 

 pened that the good ship came on the very next day, 

 and carried me out of Table Bay, I have no doubt that I 

 should have seen my name figuring in the Cape Town 

 paper under the head of "Police," and that the crime 

 would have been designated as, " Brutal Assault on a Turn- 

 pike-keeper, and disgraceful Attempt at Swindling, by a 

 British Officer/' 



My other experience was a loss of money only ; but 

 still, when one is leaving a colony, and laying in a stock 

 of provisions for a voyage, that commodity becomes 

 singularly useful. I had two guns that, although in good 

 order, I thought would be a drug in England, and there- 

 fore asked an auctioneer, to whom I had been introduced, 

 how to turn them into cash. He said they would fetch a 

 good price on the parade at auction, and he would sell 

 them for me, recommending that they should go without 

 reserve. I was hurried in packing up, &c., before leaving, 

 so gave directions to my servant to take the two guns 

 to the auctioneer, and wait for the money. He asked 

 what price I would take, but, relying upon the auctioneer's 

 statement, I named no sum as a reserve. I thought that 

 if I obtained anything like 15 or 2Q, it would do one 

 gun originally costing thirty-five guineas, and the other 

 I had bought from a Dutchman, giving a horse and a five 

 pound note in exchange. Upon my servant coming back, 

 I saw that he looked rather queer, and was soon made 

 acquainted with the cause. My two guns, after paying 



