CASES AND RACES 113 



to shiver, and readily absorbed the proffered 

 dregs of the port wine. He put the bottle to his 

 mouth and finished it, a fresh flush coming as 

 fiery dawn to his already overheated cheeks, and 

 his eyes taking a new look of angry fear. 



Someone said that he was rowlin' above on her. 

 And then the start was bustled by wildly audible 

 appeals from- the mare's owner to the starter. 



His voice rose above the din. They were start- 

 ing opposite the stand. 



" For God's sake. Captain, will ye let them off 

 before the drink is out of Timsy." 



" An' rise her, Timsy, rise her," was his last 

 shout. 



The starter, grinning, let them off in a bundle, 

 and we ran across to the regulation to see Timsy 

 take it. 



From the first it was too evident that the mare 

 was being cruelly handled. 



Timsy let her out and dragged her back, and all 

 but fell off at the fences. 



As they came up his courage seemed to give way 

 completely. 



He sat up and dragged at the reins ; then he 

 loosed them, as if he prayed for a swerve, which 

 came, but at the last moment the poor mare 

 dashed after the leaders all out of hand and quite 

 across the fence, as she took off. 



The result was that she caught her fetlocks in 

 the rail taking off and turned right over, flinging 



