"Deteriorate from his value!" said the man, his wall-eye glaring at me ferociously. "No, Effendi, he makes a little noise, but that is nothing; he is a useful horse, and when I let him out on hire in Constantinople he never runs over the blind beggars. He gives warning of his approach, and they hear him coming." I had by this time selected two more horses, and now came the knotty point of what price I was to give for the four. "How much do you want for them?" I inquired. "How much, Effendi? Sixty liras (Turkish pounds of 18_s._) I want, and not a piastre less; even then I should be a ruined man." "Sixty liras! Sixty dogs and sixty sons of dogs!" I replied, attempting to address him in the language easiest understood by a Turkish peasant. "Ah! Effendi," said the horse-dealer, "you know the value. To you there is much brain, but the Effendi's eyes will show him that sixty liras are nothing for the horses—besides, sixty liras, what are they? Sixty grains from the sand on the seashore to the gold in the Effendi's purse." I was not going to be bamboozled in that way: taking forty liras from my pocket, I showed him the money. "There," I said, "that is all I shall give you, and all that your horses are worth." "Look! forty liras!" The man attempted to impart to his countenance an indignant air, but the sight of the gold was too much for him. "Only forty liras!" "Yes," I said, "and if you will not sell them, I will buy my horses from another dealer," and I turned to go away. "No, Effendi, do not stir!" cried the owner hastily. "But _forty_ liras—let us say forty-one—one lira more—just one—for a baksheesh." "Very well," I said, and I handed him the money. Meantime, Osman, the Turkish servant, led my newly-acquired property to a stable which he had engaged for me in the neighbourhood. Later on in the afternoon I received a communication from my friend H——, in which he said that he had sent the grey horse to Constantinople by the bearer of the letter, but that the owner of the animal would not take less than sixteen liras for him. As I had thoroughly tried the animal I determined to accept the offer, and my stud was now complete. The final preparations for the journey were soon made. All the horses were fresh shod, and now I found that a Turkish horseshoe is very different to the one which we use in this country. It consists of a thin circular piece of iron, with a very small hole in the centre, not bigger than a shilling; almost the entire surface of the hoof being thus protected by the metal. Two English saddles were bought for myself and Radford, a Turkish saddle was provided for Osman, and two pack-saddles for the baggage-horses. Saddle-bags, corn-sacks, and nose-bags had been also purchased, and a supply of tea and such other necessaries as would be difficult to obtain when once we had quitted the capital.