416 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



to John's challenge with a vigorous effort. Dissenter, 

 answering gamely to the call, shot out a neck in front, 

 but Osborne brought up Lodore in the last stride, a 

 dead heat being the result after one of the grandest 

 and most exciting finishes ever seen on the Swifts of 

 the " merrie city." After this tight fit it was difficult 

 to reconcile the Gosforth Park running of the pair, 

 unless it was on the ground that this was virtually a 

 match, whereas at Gosforth Park it was a race amongst 

 a big field of horses. The attempt to come to terms 

 about a division of the stakes proving a failure, there 

 was no alternative but to run off the dead heat, and 

 that was done after the next succeeding race. Dissenter 

 was an 11 to 8 on favourite the second time of asking. 

 The race, singularly enough, was a reproduction of its 

 predecessor in every phase. Chandley at once forced 

 the pace on the favourite, and, as before, he drove 

 him along all the way round to keep in front. Lodore 

 joined him as they came to the distance, was level 

 with him in the last hundred yards, and at the foot 

 of the rails held a neck's advantage; but Dissenter, 

 again answering to Chandley's call in the gamest 

 manner, got up on the post and made a second dead 

 heat of it. An extraordinary scene of excitement 

 followed when the telegraph board indicated that the 

 judge (Mr. Ford) could not separate them. Returning 

 to the paddock the two jockeys were cheered as if they 

 were conquerors. The smile that beamed on John 

 Osborne's face was one of the sweetest things that had 

 been seen for years. There was again a "confab" 

 between Tom Holmes and Fred Bates as to whether 

 there should be a division. Neither was very willing 

 to come to terms, but Mr. Ford signifying the propriety 

 of it, a division at length was agreed to. Looking back 



