292 THE HIVE OF THE BEE-HUNTER. 
who indeed required their attention more than ever 
—-for though they had not run more than half a mile of 
the heat, that was enough to worst them terribly in their 
jaded condition. And “ Boots,” too, fared better than 
before. He was getting to be a feature in the race, and 
a cireumstance attending the betting made him now an 
object of the greatest interest. 
After the dead heat, the betting began. The result 
of that heat proved the horses to be so nearly of equal 
speed and spirit, that great confidence was placed in the 
representations of their owners, and parties betted as 
they were partial to the one or the other of them 
It so happened that no one seemed to take “ Boots” 
into the account in making bets, and by that very means 
he had as much money depending upon him as either of 
_ the other horses. 
Every one who proposed a wager, betted that either 
Dr B act Pam or Ji. EE 
the purse. 
3 “ Blan” would win 


Now the takers of such offers were ot course “ field- 
ers;” for they in fact betted, that the horse named would 
not take their money, and consequently, if “ Boots ” won 
it, they were as much gainers as though the nag they 
relied upon had won it. Hence every bet taken was, in 
technical term, upon “ the field,” though the party that 
took it, might have forgotten at the time that there was 
such a horse as “ Boots.” 
It will be seen that a tissue of accidents first brought 
