Sketches of the campaign in northern Mexico : in eighteen hundred forty-six and seven / by an officer of the First Regiment of Ohio volunteers.

A HORSE AUOTION. 105
pony was a noble steed, indeed, a perfect Tartar, and would
carry any ambitious gentlemen as far as Montezuma's -Ialls,
to the tune of
" Yankee Doodle came to town,
Upon a little pony," etc., etc.
At this scene in the farce, some of the grave-looking Mexicans could not refrain from joining in the general laughter
caused by the song and comic action of the auctioneer, who,
while he sang, continued to saw with his right hand upon an
imaginary fiddle in his left.> Thus the sale progressed amid
much lively and good-natured competition in the crowd surrounding the kicking mustangs and braying mules. Not the
least diverting part of the affair, was the dialogue that followed the sale of each animal, between the auctioneer and
purchaser, concerning the terms of payment, and which generally resulted in the granting of credit for some indefinite
period, or the acceptance of a draft on the Mexican Treasury.
At the conclusion of the sale, the auctioneer remarked,
that,-" flattered by the unexampled patronage he had received, and encouraged by the animated condition of the
market, he would shortly invite the attention of the public
to a small invoice of excellent donkeys or rather to some
small donkeys in excellent voice, soon expected to arrive
from the chaparral." With these words the wag descended
from his stand; the crowd dispersed, leading away their
purchases to their quarters, and followed by the excited Mexican owners, who now began to comprehend, though they
did not seem to relish the joke. After playing for some time
upon the fears of the avaricious jockeys, their animals were