62 THE HORSE IN AMERICA 



spur, and when his tail fell, as it did from this 

 time out, I could imagine he felt a sinking of the 

 heart as he saw streaming before him the waving 

 flag of Lexington, now held straight out in race- 

 horse fashion, and anon nervously flung up as 

 if it were a plume of triumph. 



'"One hundred to fifty on Lexington!' The 

 three lengths were increased to four, and again 

 the shout arose, as in this relative condition they 

 went for the third time over the course. Time, 

 1.51. 



"The last crisis of the strife had now arrived, 

 and Lecompte, if he had any resources left, must 

 call upon them straight. So thought his rider, for 

 the steel went to his sides ; but it was in vain, he 

 had done his best, while, as for Lexington, it 

 seemed as if he had just begun to run. Gil Patrick 

 now gave him a full rein, and for a time as he 

 went down the back stretch, it actually seemed 

 as if he were running for the very fun of the thing. 

 It was now $100 to $10 on Lexington, or any 

 kind of odds, but there were no takers. He 

 had the laurel in his teeth and was going for a 

 distance. 



