1HE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 297 



speed, she was not steady enough to be always reliable. Her 

 bottom was great. Before leaving California to come here, 

 she twice beat Glencoe Chief, ten miles, to wagons ; winning 

 those races in 29m. 10|s., and 29m. 16|s. The first of 

 these races was for the large amount of $36,500, and the 

 second for $10,000. Her best mile in public had been 2m. 

 30s. ; but I have heard that she went an amazingly fast mile 

 to wagon in a trial with a pacing-horse, and that trial in- 

 duced Mr. Teakle to bring her eastward again. 



Eoff was a great master of humbug, and had got up so 

 much mystery and speculation in regard to this mare that 

 Flora's owner refused to match her. An arrangement was 

 then entered into that they should trot three-mile heats and 

 two-mile heats, to wagons, on the Eclipse Course, and divide 

 the gate-money. It was given out that they were matched 

 for $2,500 a side ; but the truth is, that there was nothing 

 at stake between them. They trotted the three-mile heats 

 on the 16th of June, in the presence of a great crowd. 

 Eoff had so worked upon the belief of many credulous peo- 

 ple, that they actually laid on 7m. 30s., to wagon, which 

 would have beaten Dutchman's time under saddle by two 

 seconds and a half. Tallman drove Elora ; and Eoff, Princess. 

 The beauty and style of the latter were much admired ; but 

 the odds were upon the little mare who had won such a gal- 

 lant race, a little more than a fortnight previous, from Ethan 

 Allen. It was a hundred to twenty-five on her. Before 

 they started, there came up a thunder-shower, which 

 drenched thousands of people to the skin, and made the 

 course slippery and bad. In the first heat, Princess took 

 the lead, and kept it for nearly a mile ; but Flora got to her 

 head a few strides from the score, and they crossed it to- 

 gether in 2.37. Tallman made a waiting-race of it, and 

 pull 3d Elora back three lengths ; but, at the score again, the 

 big mare only led her a length. The time of that mile was 

 2m. 40^s. Elora made a little skip on the turn, and Prin- 

 cess was three lengths ahead at the quarter. But now her 



