FOUNDER OF HIS RACE 49 



Finally he asked. 



"They say," answered his father, with a certain natural 

 pride, "that 'bay is hardiest and best.' If one tells you 

 he has seen a horse leap to the bottom of a precipice 

 without hurting himself/ and if he say 'bay,' believe him !" 



And being bay. True was happy. 



"The Arab," continued the father, "who lives with his 

 horse, and prizes him above his family, as is most meet 

 and proper, learns to know him well. There are those 

 in the Desert to-day who claim to trace the lineage of 

 their horses back to those of Mohammed. These they 

 train to endure hunger, fatigue and thirst to stand the 

 Desert life. Some are said to be able to travel eighty 

 leagues in twenty-four hours." 



There were modern incidents in Beautiful Bay's lore 

 — tales of the Southern States — so lately colonies — told 

 him by his famous father, Traveller, who was imported 

 from England and owned by Colonel Tayloe of Vir- 

 ginia. 



"The blood of a thoroughbred flows quicker on the 

 course than on a hill-side farm," said the old horse, and 

 related a story of the meet at Annapolis, when he and 

 Colonel De Lancey went down from New York to visit 

 The Dulaney of Maryland. 



Discussing the merits of the horses stood a group of 

 the famous horsemen of the day : Tom Lee, of Virginia ; 

 Mason, of Gunstan Hall, and De Lancey, of New York — 

 when The Dulaney joined them. 



" 'Sdeath, De Lancey !" he cried, in his hearty voice, 

 "and right glad am I to see you^here. These spindling 

 bets of fifty or a hundred pounds please me not. I want 

 gold, man, gold, I say !" Laughing carelessly, he flicked 

 a speck of dust from his coat sleeve with a white linen 

 handkerchief. 



"Gold? Egad, so do I!" answered the rollicking De 



