284 BETTING THE LONG ODDS. 



for him at their own convenience. This induces the 

 young Ximrod to swear l)y bell, book, and candle, 

 that Bray (as we will call our dealer) is the best and 

 honestest fellow in the world : so Bray supplies the 

 Governor also with what horses he wants. I men- 

 tioned the name of Bray by chance, as I might have 

 done any other : but as it is always pleasant to say a 

 good word where one can, I had many years back 

 some dealings with a Bray (I mean Aaron Bray) for 

 buggy horses, and no man could have behaved better 

 as to them, nor with greater civility than he always 

 did, and now does whenever I see him. From what 

 little I know of him, I wish he had made a fortune. 

 I suspect it to be rather difficult to say which dealer 

 has ; for we must not trust to appearances. 



The way in which many people always lose money 

 by buying horses from dealers, whether high or low 

 ones, is of course that they give more than the value 

 of the horses they buy of them. Provided they lose, 

 it may be said it matters little from what cause it 

 arises ; but as I always like to look into causes, whe- 

 ther effects are beneficial to me or the reverse, per- 

 haps others may do the same ; but, where the effect 

 may be the same, it in no way follows the cause is the 

 same also. In buying a first-rate horse from a first- 

 rate dealer, you give too much, for this reason, he 

 gave too much for him at first for any purpose ; but 

 to sell, he charges you perhaps half as much more; 

 so when he is sold to you, in dealer's slang, "he won't 

 want selling again." If j^ou must not lose by him the 

 deuce is in it. Be he as good as represented (and per- 

 haps he is), you gave too much, unless indeed he 

 turns up trumps ; but the odds are much greater 

 aojainst horses doino^ so than cards. 



