orse out of a field in this way: I have a mare in my stable;
well, in the early season of the year I goes into my stable . . . Well, I
puts the sponge into a small bottle which I keeps corked. I takes my
bottle in my hand, and goes into a field, suppose by night, where there
is a very fine stag horse. I manage with great difficulty to get within
ten yards of the horse, who stands staring at me just ready to run away.
I then uncorks my bottle, presses, my fore-finger to the sponge, and
holds it out to the horse; the horse gives a sniff, then a start, and
comes nearer. I corks up my bottle and puts it into my pocket. My
business is done, for the next two hours the horse would follow me
anywhere--the difficulty, indeed, would be to get rid of him. Now is
that your way of doing business?"

"My way of doing business? Mercy upon us! I wouldn't steal a horse in
that way, or, indeed, in any way, for all the money in the world:
however, let me tell you, for your comfort, that a trick somewhat similar
is described in the history of Herodotus."

"In the history of Herod's ass!" said the jockey; "well, if I did write a
book it should be about something more genteel than a dickey."

"I did not say Herod's ass," said I, "but Herodotus, a very genteel
writer, I assure you, who wrote a history about very genteel people, in a
language no less genteel than Greek, more than two thousand years ago.
There was a dispute as to who should be king amongst certain imperious
chieftains. At last they agreed to obey him whose horse should neigh
first on a certain day, in front of the royal palace, before the rising
of the sun; for you must know that they did not worship the person who
made the sun as we do, but the sun itself. So one of these chieftains,
talking over the matter to his groom, and saying he wondered who would be
king, the fellow said, 'Why you, master, or I don't know much about
horses.' So the day before the day of trial, what does the groom do, but
take his master's horse before the palace and introduce him to a mare in
the stable, and then lead him forth again. Well, early the next day all
the chieftains on their horses appeared in front of the palace before the
dawn of day. Not a horse neighed but one, and that was the horse of him
who had consulted with his groom, who, thinking of the animal within the
stable, gave such a neigh that all the buildings rang. His rider was
forthwith elected king, and a brave king he w