_How Owlglass cheated a Horse-dealer at Wismar, and afterwards
cheated the Public._
Owlglass next went to Wismar, a town much frequented by horse-dealers,
and one of these had a habit of pulling the tail of any horse he
thought of buying. This he did from a notion that, if the hair were
firm in the tail, the horse was strong, and would live long; but if, on
the contrary, the hair came out freely, that the animal would not last
long, and he would therefore have nothing to do with it. Owlglass knew
of this habit, and determined to make some profit of it, so he bought a
horse without a tail, which he got very cheap on that account, and most
artfully he fastened a beautifully flowing tail to the bare stump, by
means of blood and gum. With this horse he went to Wismar, and asked so
high a price that no one would bid for it, until the dealer came whose
habit it was to pull the horses' tails, and him he asked a very low
price. Before striking a bargain, the Horse-dealer, as usual, caught
hold of the tail, and having formed a favourable opinion of the animal,
gave it, perhaps, a harder tug than customary, when, lo and behold, the
tail remained in his hands, and he measured his length upon the ground.
A shout of laughter arose on all sides; but that was not enough for
Owlglass, who cried out, at the highest pitch of his voice, "See here!
the villain has ruined my horse, for, beautiful creature that it is,
who would have it without a tail?" The people drew nearer and took part
with Owlglass, so that the Horse-dealer had to pay him ten pounds for
the damage done to his horse, and Owlglass laughed more heartily than
any one, though only to himself.
He rode out of Wismar in high spirits, his trick having succeeded so
well; and as soon as he was outside the town he fastened the tail
on again, intending to sell the horse in the next town. As he rode
along, however, he thought of some other way how to make money by his
horse, before finally parting with it. In pursuance of the plan he had
formed, he stopped at an inn two or three miles distant from the town,
where he intended to put his plan into execution. Here he remained till
it had grown dark, so that he might enter the town unseen; which having
done, he hired a stable, and having put up his horse, and attended to
it himself, he locked the stable-door, putting the key in his pocket.
The next morning he had it cried through the town that there was a
horse to be shown with its tail where its head should be, stating a
certain hour at which only it could be seen. Before the appointed time
he made all necessary preparations in the stable, when he again locked
the door and then stood before it, waiting the arrival of the curious.
Now, as curiosity was pretty general in the town, there was a numerous
attendance; and when Owlglass judged that all the company to be
expected had arrived, he collected the admission price from each, and
then threw the door open.
There was a general rush, followed by laughter from some, and indignant
complaints from others, as they saw the horse, no different in itself
to other horses, but fastened with its tail to the manger instead of
its head.
[Illustration: _The Horse's Tail where his Head should be._]