in the bag; and, upon my reputation, you may
build castles in the air with it, you'll be so rich.'

"This plucked up Jack's courage a little, and to work they went; and
how could it end otherwise than Jack to lose betune two such knowing
schamers as they soon turned out to be? For, what do you think? but,
as Jack was beginning the game, the dog tips him a wink--laying his
fore-claw along his nose as before, as much as to say, 'Watch me, and
you'll win'--turning round, at the same time, and showing Jack a nate
little looking-glass, that was set in his oxther, in which Jack saw,
dark as it was, the spots of all the other fellow's cards, as he
thought, so that he was cock-sure of bating him. But they were a pair of
downright knaves any how; for Jack, by playing to the cards that he saw
in the looking-glass, instead of to them the other held in his hand,
lost the game and the money. In short, he saw that he was blarnied and
chated by them both; and when the game was up, he plainly tould them as
much.

"'What?--you scoundrel!' says the black fellow, starting up and catching
him by the collar; 'dare you go for to impache my honor?'

"'Leather him, if he says a word,' says the dog, running over on his
hind-legs, and laying his shut paw upon Jack's nose. 'Say another word,
you rascal!' says he, 'and I'll down you;' with this, the ould fellow
gives him another shake.

"'I don't blame you so much,' says Jack to him; 'it was the
looking-glass that desaved me. That cur's nothing but a black leg!'

"'What looking-glass?--you knave you!' says dark-face, giving him a
fresh haul.

"'Why, the one I saw under the dog's oxther,' replied Jack.

"'Under my oxther, you swindling rascal!' replied the dog, giving him
a pull by the other side of the collar; 'did ever any honest pair
of gintlemen hear the like?--but he only wants to break through the
agreement: so let us turn him at once into an ass, and then he'll break
no more bargains, nor strive to take in honest men and win their money.
Me a black-leg!' So the dark fellow drew his two hands over Jack's jaws,
and in a twinkling there was a pair of ass's ears growing up out of his
head. When Jack found this, he knew that he wasn't in good hands: so he
thought it best to get himself as well out of the scrape as possible.

"'Gintlemen, be aisy,' says he, 'and let us understand one another: I'm
very willing to sarve you for a year and a day; but I've one requist
to ax, and it's this: I