BLIND HOOKEY 37 



dangerously quiet while the heavy " green " harness 

 was laid upon his quivering barrel. But no sooner did 

 the point of the driver's sjambok touch his satin-hke 

 flank than, with a great plunge, as though he were charging 

 a yawning water- jump, he literally flew through the air 

 with the " spider," and upon descending to terra firma 

 again he kicked the body of the offending vehicle to 

 smithereens. Scared half out of their lives, but otherwise 

 little the worse for their brief aerial flight and somewhat 

 abrupt and sudden descent, the unfortunate speculators 

 in equine " securities " picked themselves up from the 

 dust and malodorous refuse of the cattle market, and 

 standing at a respectful distance ruefully watched the 

 final and complete destruction of the ancient "spider," 

 of which, by-the-bye, but the axle-trees, wheels, and 

 one shaft remained intact. 



Thinking perhaps that he had sufficiently avenged him- 

 self the indignity of having been put between the shafts 

 of a " one boss shay," Blind Hookey was in the act of 

 quietly retiring from the scene, with the wreckage trailing 

 behind him, when we took hold of his bridle and stopped 

 him. It was then that we noticed that the galloway was 

 blind of an eye, that he was past " mark of mouth," 

 and that he had slightly cut himself about the hocks 

 during his acrobatic performance. 



Emboldened by the knowledge that their latest purchase 

 could do them no further bodily harm provided they kept 

 far enough away from his heels, while we remained at his 

 head, the " Peruvians " approached a little nearer, and 

 the following collocution took place between the elder 

 of the twain (A) and ourselves (B). 



A : " Ach ! it vas not right to put such a beautiful 



