TURN AND TURN ABOUT. 385 



excuse made on his part, but he said at once, " Send 

 him back, I'll get you out of him : " and so he would. 

 He would give you " a dig " to-day, and give some 

 one else a double-distilled one to-morrow to get you 

 out of it. The last he contrived to give to somebody he 

 did not care about, or to some greenhorn whom he 

 could talk into believino; he had done him a favour. 

 I had had so many deals with him that I thought he 

 would not attempt or wish to do me : but the " ruling 

 passion" once (and I must say only once) was too 

 strong for him. 



I went to see a gentleman's stud sold. I saw a 

 very fine brown horse that struck my fancy. I went 

 up to our friend of the sunny smile, and asked about 

 the horse. He was all and everything I could wish. " Is 

 he sound?" said I, "and what may I bid for him?" — 

 " He is sound," said Sunny, " and buy him at any- 

 thing under fifty." He was knocked down to me at 

 forty-eight. I followed my purchase into the stable, 

 liked him much, and he was apparently as sound a 

 horse as I ever saw or handled. After the sale, I 

 went to the stable to get him saddled to ride him 

 home. I now saw he had a favourite leg or foot 

 that he was nursing under the manger. I guessed 

 the truth at once, and saw that he was lame in walk- 

 ing out of the stable. It is true he was sold without 

 warranty, but I bought him on Sunny's word, and I 

 determined he should make it good. Not choosing 

 to expose my purchase or myself before some hundred 

 people, I gave him on mounting a kick with both heels, 

 and cantered him out of the yard. The next morning 

 I found him, of course, as lame as a tree. I got on 

 him, and cantered him into as I had out of the yard, 

 dismounted, turned him loose, and told Sunny, "there 



VOL. I. . c c 



