The Šmarje manor house was selling a pair of beautiful horses, but it was difficult to find a buyer since the horses did not come cheap. They were horses raised solely to transport the nobility, without the endurance for farm work. Since the manor house had enough horses for such transport, the pair was unneeded and put up for sale. The keeper of the manor house, Tscwrtitschka, was charged with selling the horses, and did his best to find a serious buyer. He was told that the chief officer of the Brežice district, the Count Attems, was a great lover of horses and equestrian sports, and might be interested in purchasing the pair. The count had raised many horses, which he raced at home and abroad. He had recently sold two horses and was in the market for another pair. Tscwrtitschka agreed to bring the horses to the Count Attems in Brežice on a specific day, so that the count could examine the horses closely and ride them. The keeper of the manor house later remembered that he was supposed to help load wood on that very day. He worried what might happen, as he didn’t dare rely on anyone else. He asked himself where he could find a reliable man who he could trust to take the horses to Bržeice, and who also spoke German. He thought of a friendly and entertaining forester he knew named Francelj, who he had met at a card game in Pilštanj. This new acquaintance seemed very reliable and interesting (he knew everything there was to know about the Outlaw Guzaj), and he also spoke German well. How sorry he would be if he knew just who his new “friend” was, and what kind of side work he did when he wasn’t busy as a forester. He had no idea how badly he had misjudged Francelj, or how dearly and soon he would pay for his gullibility.

Forester Francelj came to the aid of the manor house keeper, and set off for Brežice to make a fair trade with the Count Attems, who liked the horses very much indeed. They impressed the count even more on the test ride to Rajhenburg. At first, Francelj held the reins in his hands. Then the count took over, and spurred the horses to a gallop, while Francelj sat in the back seat next to his “basket of tricks”. The forester looked around and slowly slid his right hand into the basket, extracted a knotted sock filled with sand, raised his hand and struck the count in the head with all of his might. The count saw stars in broad daylight, but not for long, as a second, fiercer stroke fell. The count sank in his seat, while Francelj grabbed the reins and stopped the horses. He dragged the count from the carriage and laid him on the grass on the roadside. He reached into the count’s pocket where he found an envelope with 12 banknotes, each worth 100 florins. Payment for the horses! He immediately exchanged the envelope for a signed, fully authorised receipt. In the count’s wallet he found several hundred more florins. During his fall, a heavy gold watch had fallen from the count’s waistcoat.

The count lay unconscious next to the road, while Francelj drove the horses towards Saint Peter at the mountain Svete gore. He stopped at a tavern, greeted the owner Ferjanc, and suggested he purchase the horses. Ferjanc hesitated at first, reproached the seller as nothing better than a gypsy, a thief and an outlaw, and that he would reduce the poor tavern owner to poverty. But in the end, he struck a deal with Francelj. A week later, the horses from Kozjansko were learning Croatian from their new owner on the other side of the Sotla River.

An old woman found the Count Attems left for dead on the side of the road. When he had recovered a little, the count flew into a rage. He posted a circular in all the gendarmerie outposts in his precinct. He ordered them to take into custody anyone seen with the stolen horses and anyone acting suspiciously. He told them to be on the look out for Guzaj, in particular, as it was time to put an end to his banditry once and for all.

Of course the manor house keeper in Kozjansko was also furious. At first, he was unable to comprehend what had transpired. It finally dawned on him that the Outlaw Guzaj was actually his friend. However, his anger wouldn’t help the situation: the horses had been sold, the Count Attems had a receipt saying he paid for the horses, yet the manor house keeper couldn’t collect his money from the count. His money had vanished into thin air, as would his job.

Guzaj had no idea what he had started when he stole the count’s money, watch and horses. It wasn’t until later when he returned to Kozjansko, where he most frequently held up, that he realised what was afoot: a massive search for the Outlaw by the gendarmerie, which lasted day and night. He was truly in danger of falling into the clutches of the gendarmerie. Moving about freely became too dangerous, even fateful…