we
were proceeding to one, a very fine horse, led by a jockey, made its
appearance on the ground. Mr. Petulengro stopped short, and looked at it
stedfastly: "Fino covar dove odoy sas miro--a fine thing were that if it
were but mine!" he exclaimed. "If you covet it," said I, "why do you not
purchase it?" "We low 'Gyptians never buy animals of that description;
if we did we could never sell them, and most likely should be had up as
horse-stealers." "Then why did you say just now, 'It were a fine thing
if it were but yours?'" said I. "We 'Gyptians always say so when we see
anything that we admire. An animal like that is not intended for a
little hare like me, but for some grand gentleman like yourself. I say,
brother, do you buy that horse!" "How should I buy the horse, you
foolish person?" said I. "Buy the horse, brother," said Mr. Petulengro,
"if you have not the money I can lend it you, though I be of lower
Egypt." "You talk nonsense," said I; "however, I wish you would ask the
man the price of it." Mr. Petulengro, going up to the jockey, inquired
the price of the horse--the man, looking at him scornfully, made no
reply. "Young man," said I, going up to the jockey, "do me the favour to
tell me the price of that horse, as I suppose it is to sell." The
jockey, who was a surly-looking man, of about fifty, looked at me for a
moment, then, after some hesitation, said, laconically, "Seventy." "Thank
you," said I, and turned away. "Buy that horse," said Mr. Petulengro,
coming after me; "the dook tells me that in less than three months he
will be sold for twice seventy." "I will have nothing to do with him,"
said I; "besides, Jasper, I don't like his tail. Did you observe what a
mean scrubby tail he has?" "What a fool you are, brother," said Mr.
Petulengro; "that very tail of his shows his breeding. No good bred
horse ever yet carried a fine tail--'tis your scrubby-tailed horses that
are your out-and-outers. Did you ever hear of Syntax, brother? That
tail of his puts me in mind of Syntax. Well, I say nothing more, have
your own way--all I wonder at is, that a horse like him was ever brought
to such a fair of dog cattle as this."

We then made the best of our way to a public-house, where we had some
refreshment. I then proposed returning to the encampment, but Mr.
Petulengro declined, and remained drinking with his companions till about
six o'clock in the evening, when various jockeys from the fair came i