RACEALONG 317 



lating himself on having a high old time as soon 

 as the track was ready and Riley saw looming in 

 the distance a big reputation for enterprise, with a 

 fine run of customers at his hotel. A big gang of 

 men were put to work and at the end of two weeks, 

 on a Wednesday at noon, the track was completed 

 and announced perfect. It was bushed every fifty 

 yards, and altogether pronounced the greatest thing 

 ever attempted in that line. At two o'clock a great 

 crowd of people were on the bay taking a look at 

 things and speculating on the grand prospects of 

 sport ahead. In Riley's hotel on the shore the boys 

 were congregated getting up a programme for the 

 races. 



About this time a strong easterly wind blew up. 

 The sky became overcast and the people at the track 

 made for shore. The storm came on so quickly that 

 in two hours Toronto Bay was clear of ice. Riley's 

 track, with its bushes acting as sails, swept almost 

 intact out into the open lake, and much fun was 

 made over the mishap. Some sent messages from 

 Hamilton and Oakville that Riley's track went sail- 

 ing by their respective places at the rate of ten 

 miles an hour. The strong breeze did more than 

 blow away the track, it blew out of Riley's mind 

 all desire for speculation in that line. In his long 

 career as a hotel-keeper he had met with many slip- 

 pery customers, but nothing in his experience came 

 up to his race track venture. 



