THE DEAD HEAT 123 



water -jump. There is no end of youth and beauty. 

 All the county dite are there as lookers-on. A place 

 has been kept for Mr C-wynne, and also one for the 

 large waggonette of the officers. Eager spectators 

 are scattered all over the course, but the big wall 

 and the two water-jumps are the centre of attraction. 

 The wall is a fearful one, six feet high, built up of 

 large loose stones. The water-jump is also a pretty 

 good one. A little mountain stream has been 

 dammed up. It is fifteen feet wide, four feet deep, 

 and hurdled and staked on the taking off side. 



" By Jingo, it is a twister ! " said Mr Gwynne, a 

 hunting man, as he looked at it. " I say. Ally," to 

 his daughter, " you would not like to ride over that, 

 would you ? " 



" ISTo, indeed, papa," said the poor girl, with her 

 beautiful eyes full of tears — she was terribly 

 asfitated. " I never shall be able to look at Charles 

 as he jumps it : it's fearful to look at, and it has to 

 be done twice too ! " 



" Never mind, Alice, dear," said Fortescue, " the 

 old horse will carry me over like a bird. The only 

 difficulty in the whole thing is the big wall ; that is 

 a rattler ! but in your colours, of course, I shall 

 get over all right. Let me do that wall and I am 

 pretty safe, for I know Screwdriver has the foot of 

 Mad Moll ; and these colours, too, they must not 



