i6o HOUND AND HORN 



" Steady, Billy, I'm going to try and beat you/' 

 I shouted. 



As we could hear the crowd cheering and see the 

 flag floating in the winning field, I asked the mare 

 to go, but she could not stay beside the old horse, 

 and after pecking at the last fence she dropped 

 behind, and I had the satisfaction of seeing Billy's 

 humped shoulders and squared elbows ten lengths 

 in front, as he sailed between the flags. 



'^ Bravo, Master ! " shouted John Elliot's younger 

 brother. " Well done, the Forest Hunt ! " 



'* One, two, three, hip, hooray ! " screamed Florence. 



'' Why, who's three ? " I gasped, looking back at 

 the string of riders coming into view. 



" You are." 



^' How's that ? I know Billy has beat me ; but " 



^' Yes ; but Tommy Telfer has been in for some 

 time, and is now at the weighing tent ! " 



And sure enough when I got there I found him 

 surrounded by a cheering cluster of admirers. He 

 was holding in his hand two pounds of loose lead 

 which, as he had not had time to put into his saddle- 

 cloth, he had carried in his pocket throughout the 

 race. The Clerk of the Scales was saying, ''You 

 want half a pound yet ; but there is your breastplate 

 and your bridle allowance. All right." 



When they came to examine the bridle of Tom's 

 reeking horse they found it all mud-plastered and 

 scraped, with the bridoon bit loose below the chin like 

 a curb chain and the browband over one ear, in fact 

 just dropping off. When told of this, Tom said, '* Of 

 course that was at the drop into the plough behind 

 Borthwick's farm ; the beggar stood tail end upper- 



