point, I say, to furnish him with an animal worth the money; but when I
sees a fellow, whether he calls himself gentleman or not, wishing to
circumvent me, what does I do? I doesn't quarrel with him, not I; but,
letting him imagine he is taking me in, I contrives to sell him a screw
for thirty pounds, not worth forty shillings. All honest respectable
people have at present great confidence in me, and frequently commissions
me to buy them horses at great fairs like this.

'This short young gentleman was recommended to me by a great landed
proprietor, to whom he bore letters of recommendation from some great
prince in his own country, who had a long time ago been entertained at
the house of the landed proprietor, and the consequence is, that I brings
young six foot six to Horncastle, and purchases for him the horse of the
Romany Rye. I don't do these kind things for nothing, it is true; that
can't be expected; for every one must live by his trade; but, as I said
before, when I am treated handsomely, I treat folks so. Honesty, I have
discovered, as perhaps some other people have, is by far the best policy;
though, as I also said before, when I'm along with thieves, I can beat
them at their own game. If I am obliged to do it, I can pass off the
veriest screw as a flying drummedary, for even when I was a child I had
found out by various means what may be done with animals. I wish now to
ask a civil question, Mr. Romany Rye. Certain folks have told me that
you are a horse witch, are you one, or are you not?'

'I, like yourself,' said I, 'know, to a certain extent, what may be done
with animals.'

'Then how would you, Mr. Romany Rye, pass off the veriest screw in the
world for a flying drummedary?'

'By putting a small live eel down his throat; as long as the eel remained
in his stomach, the horse would appear brisk and lively in a surprising
degree.'

'And how would you contrive to make a regular kicker and biter appear so
tame and gentle, that any respectable fat old gentleman of sixty, who
wanted an easy goer, would be glad to purchase him for fifty pounds?'

'By pouring down his throat four pints of generous old ale, which would
make him so happy and comfortable, that he would not have the heart to
kick or bite anybody, for a season at least.'

'And where did you learn all this?' said the jockey.

'I have read about the eel in an old English book, and about the making
drunk in a Spanish novel, and, singula