Seaweed had shot his bolt and fallen back, and The Captain now held the lead, Jackson steadying him and keeping a wary eye on the others.

Ben Madsley felt confident of success, for Distant Sh.o.r.e was going well, and pulling him out of the saddle. Still, it was too far from the winning-post, he thought, to take up the running. He glanced to the right, but could not see Neptune, and thought to himself,--

'Dennis has not much chance. He'll be sorry he did not put me up.'

He could not see that Neptune was going strong, not more than a couple of lengths behind him.

At this point the favourite and The Captain held the advantage, and already there was a tumult of excitement at the prospect of one of them winning. Abe Dalton loudly proclaimed that The Captain would win.

'My horse wins for a score!' he kept on shouting, but no one ventured to take his offer.

Jackson still held the lead, and was evidently bent on getting a clear run round the home turn. This, too, was the intention of Ben Madsley, and the riders of Wamba and Dingo were also on the alert.

Willie still had Neptune on the outside, as he did not care to risk being crowded on to the rails and possibly not be able to find an opening at the finish.

Dr Tom was watching the race closely, and thought,--

'If Neptune wins he's a real clinker, for he has run wide all the way.

I'm not at all sure this is not the best plan to ride such a big, striding horse on this course. I hope Willie will last it out. It looks like being a close finish, and he will want all his wits about him. That blow on the head will not help him, it might cause him to feel faint at the last moment. I wish I knew who did it.'

As the horses neared the turn into the straight the crowd became more and more excited, for this was the critical moment, and there had been more than one spill here on previous occasions.

Jackson sent The Captain along at his best pace, but could not shake off Distant Sh.o.r.e. Neck and neck they raced for the turn, with Wamba and Dingo and Scamp, who had come with a rattle close behind, and Neptune still on the outside.

A thought had come into Willie's head which he resolved to put into execution if possible. If he could be sure of Neptune, he thought it might be done, and the horse had great speed.

He meant to come with a rush round the turn, and get so far in front as to be able to sweep down on to the rails without any danger of crossing or interfering with the other horses. It was a bold plan and might succeed.

At last the bend was reached and he brought Neptune round with such a tremendous rush that it electrified all who saw it.

'What's his little game?' muttered Dr Tom.

'He means to get on to the rails,' said Jim to his companion, 'but it is too much to expect of the horse; look what a sweep he has to make.'

'He'll do it, I believe,' said Adye.

'It is a dashing move at anyrate, and worth trying for.'

Neptune, however, was not quite equal to the task, for Jackson saw what Willie meant to try and accomplish, and sent The Captain along at such a pace that it was impossible for Neptune to draw clear of him. This run, brilliant as it was, gave Neptune an advantage, even if it didn't accomplish all Willie had intended.

The pace, for the end of a two-mile race, was terrific, and there was soon a long tail in the rear.

Jackson had been pushing The Captain for some time and it commenced to tell upon him.

Madsley noticed this, and thought he had the race as good as won, but he could not get rid of either The Captain or Neptune. The green jacket was so conspicuous that Rodney Shaw became excited at the prospect of winning and commenced to shout the name of his horse. He was standing not far from Jim Dennis, who, hearing him, turned round and said,--

'Neptune beats yours for fifty.'

'Done,' said Shaw, 'a hundred if you like.'

'No, fifty will do,' said Jim.

'I'll have the other fifty,' said Aaron Hyam, and Shaw accepted it.

The yellow jacket was now almost level with the green and the black; close behind came Scamp, Wamba and Dingo. The issue was confined to this lot.

The crowd shouted until they were hoa.r.s.e.

'The Captain's beaten!'

It was an ominous sound, and Abe Dalton smothered an oath as he looked and saw Jackson hard at work upon his horse. Still The Captain struggled on and answered gallantly, and Dalton thought he might just get home.

Whips were out, and Ben Madsley was calling vigorously upon Distant Sh.o.r.e.

On the outside, nearly in the middle of the course, was Neptune, coming along with giant strides, and Willie sitting still upon him.

At this critical moment the shouts of the crowd, the intense excitement of a desperate finish, caused his head to swim, and he felt faint. He nerved himself for a last effort. He must not fail now when the goal was nearly reached, and Neptune looked all over a winner.

The excitement was tremendous. Never had such a finish been seen at Swamp Creek, and the people surged and swayed in their frantic desire to see the end of this great struggle.

Sympathy was with Willie Dennis. He was such a youngster, and so small, and had ridden such a splendid race. Then Jim Dennis was popular, and neither Abe Dalton nor Rodney Shaw possessed much of this. So the crowd yelled, and waved hats and handkerchiefs, and the name of Neptune echoed far and wide.

'Neptune wins!' 'Bravo, little un!' 'Neptune wins!'

'The Captain's done!'

Abe Dalton clenched his hands and set his teeth. The Captain was the first of the three leaders to crack, and, despite every effort on the part of Jackson, fell back. Dalton showered a torrent of oaths on the people round him. He cursed Jackson and cursed his horse, and well-nigh choked with rage, but no one heeded him, they were too intent upon the race.

Rodney Shaw was almost frantic as he shouted the name of his horse until his throat felt sore.

Jim Dennis seemed unmoved, but he was seething with intense excitement, hidden beneath a calm exterior.

As for Willie, he hardly knew where he was or what he was doing. The blow he had received caused his head to ache painfully, and a dimness came over his eyes, and he only saw faintly.

He saw a ma.s.s of people swaying to and fro, like phantoms in a mist.

There was a surging in his ears and a tight feeling at his heart, but he held on like grim death, and rode Neptune for all he was worth. In a hazy sort of way he saw the judge's box, then he fancied he caught sight of his father's set face, but he knew that could hardly be true.

Everything was jumbled up in his mind, and the only thing he recollected afterwards with distinctness was that the green jacket was still level with him and Ben Madsley was riding desperately.

'Distant Sh.o.r.e!' 'Neptune!'

'Neptune wins!' 'Distant Sh.o.r.e wins!'

These were the sounds he heard, in a dull sort of way, and he wondered what it all meant.

He kept his eyes fixed on that green jacket. Would it never leave? Why could he not shake it off? It seemed to dance before his eyes, to be first on one side and then on the other, and a white cap on top, bobbing up and down like a ball. He seemed to be flying through the air, and he knew Neptune was going at a great pace; the horse could do no better, no matter what he did or how he rode, and he sat perfectly still. Had he moved he believed he would have fallen off.

It was all for the best that he could not move, for, had he done so, Neptune might have shirked his work. There was no shirking now, and again and again the ringing cheers proclaimed that Jim Dennis's horse would win. At last, amid a perfect roar of exciting shouts, the pair pa.s.sed the post almost neck and neck.

Which had won?