The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle and Tyre, Co., Ltd. | Page 5

had passed,
place the obstruction, and escape before the completion of the lap.
The damaged men were helped or carried into the pavilion, and the
damaged machines were dragged after them. "I will give fifty pounds
gladly -- more, a hundred," said Mr. Mallows, excitedly, "to anybody
who will find out who put that chair on the track. It might have ended
in murder. Some wretched bookmaker, I suppose, who has taken too
many bets on Gillett. As I've said a thousand times, betting is the curse
of all sport nowadays."
"The governor excites himself a great deal about betting and
bookmakers," Stedman said to Dorrington, as they walked toward the
pavilion, "but, between you and me, I believe some of the 'Avalanche'
people are in this. The betting bee is always in Mallows's bonnet, but as
a matter of fact there's very little betting at all on cycle races, and splat
there is is little more than a matter of half-crowns or at most
half-sovereigns on the day of the race. No bookmaker ever makes a
heavy book first. Still there may be something in it this time, of course.
But look at the 'Avalanche' people. With Gillett away their man can
certainly win on Saturday, and if only the weather keeps fair he can
almost as certainly beat the record; just at present the fifty miles is
fairly easy, and it's bound to go soon. Indeed our intention was that
Gillett should pull it down on Saturday. He was a safe winner, bar
accidents, and it was good odds on his altering the record, if the
weather were and good at all. With Gillett out of it Lant is just about as
certain a winner as our man would be if all were well. And there would
be a boom for the 'Avalanche' company, on the very eve of the share
subscription! Lant, you must know, was very second-rate till this
season, but he has improved wonderfully in the last month or two, since
he has been with the 'Avalanche' people. Let him win, and they can
point to the machine as responsible for it all. 'Here,' they will say in
effect, 'is a man who could rarely get in front, even in second-class
company, till he rode an 'Avalanche.' Now he beats the world's record
for fifty miles on it, and makes rings round the topmost professionals!'
Why, it will be worth thousands of capital to them. Of course the

subscription of capital won't hurt us, but the loss of the record may, and
to have Gillett knocked out like this in the middle of the season is
serious."
"Yes, I suppose with you it is more than a matter of this one race."
"Of course. And so it mill be with the 'Avalanche' company. Don't you
see, with Gillett probably useless for the rest of the season, Lant will
have it all his own way at anything over ten miles. That'll help to boom
up the shares and there'll be big profit made on trading in them. Oh, I
tell you this thing seems pretty suspicious to me."
"Look here," said Dorrington, "can you borrow a light for me, and let
me run over with it to the spot where the smash took place? The people
have cleared into the pavilion, and I could go alone."
"Certainly. Will you have a try for the governor s hundred?"
"Well, perhaps. But any way there's no harm in doing you a good turn
if I can, while I'm here. Some day perhaps you'll do me one.'
"Right You are -- I'll ask Fielders, the ground-man."
A lantern was brought, and Dorrington betook himself to the spot
where the iron chair still lay, while Stedman joined the rest of the
crowd in the pavilion.
Dorrington minutely examined the grass within two yards of the place
where the chair lay, and then, crossing the track and getting over the
rails, did the same with the damp gravel that paved the outer ring. The
track itself was of cement, and unimpressionable by footmarks, but
nevertheless he scrutinized that with equal care, as well as the rails.
Then he turned his attention to the chair. It was, as I have said, a light
chair made of flat iron strip, bent to shape and riveted. It had seen good
service, and its present coat of green paint was evidently far from being
its original one. Also it was rusty in places, and parts had been repaired
and strengthened with cross pieces secured by bolts and square nuts,
some rusty and loose. It was from one of these square nuts, holding a

cross-piece that stayed the back at the top, that Dorrington secured
some object -- it might have been a hair -- which he carefully