sold out, as I generally did, the
first day), I was standing with a dealer from the north who had forty
or sixty--I think sixty--two-year-old polled stots to sell. He had just
parted with a customer for 2s. 6d. a-head, having offered them at L8,
15s., and refused L8, 12s. 6d. A gentleman's land-steward came through
the lot of cattle with a milk-white horse, and his eyes looked first to
the right and then to the left with wonderful quickness. He asked the
price of the cattle. I thought the seller's conscience a trifle lax
when he asked L13, 13s. a-head. Being very young I turned my back, as I
could not keep my gravity. The owner then asked what he would give.
L11, 11s. was the answer. No sooner were the words out of the man's
mouth than down came the clap, "They are yours." I could stand it no
longer, and drew back aghast. The buyer became suspicious that all was
not right; and my father, who was held in great esteem both by buyers
and sellers, acted as umpire, to whom both parties referred the
transaction. Being the only witness, I was closely interrogated by the
umpire, the buyer, and the seller. I told the price asked and the price
offered. The matter had now assumed a serious aspect. My father, after
hearing the evidence, which was not denied, and the price having been
fairly offered and accepted, could only decide one way. I recollect his
words when he gave his decision: "Well, sir, the beasts are dear
according to this market, but they are good growers, and you will soon
make them worth it; my decision is, you must take them." They were paid
for, and went across the ferry to Fife again. In a rising market I have
seen cattle raised L1 a-head; and if the jobber does not take a price
when there is a rise, and fairly in his power, he is a fool, for he
will soon find out that the buyers will have no mercy upon the sellers
when in their power. In all my experience, the above, in a dull day, or
any other day, was the most glaring start I remember.

I never attended the fairs in Angusshire, but on one occasion Mr Thom
hauled me off to Forfar market in the beginning of November, before
Hallow Fair of Edinburgh. We were in partnership at the time, and
bought seventy small polled stots to take to Hallow Fair, to which we
had sent off two or three droves the week before. We could get but one
drover, a townsman, to assist in lifting them, and had to turn drovers
ourselves. We had not gone above a mile on our way to Dundee with