The Case of Janissary | Page 3

away from the other horses, and not under my
nose, or the head lad's, for a moment. I rode at the fellow, of course,
when I saw what he was after, but he was artful as a cartload of
monkeys, and vanished somehow before I could get near him. The head
lad believes he has seen him about just after dark, too; but I am keeping
the stable lads in when they're not riding, and I suppose he finds he has
no chance of getting at them except when they're out with the horses.
This morning, not only did I see this fellow about, as usual, but, I am
ashamed to say, I observed my own nephew acting the part of a
common tout. He certainly had the decency to avoid me and clear out,
but that was not all, as you shall see. This morning, happening to
approach the stables from the back, I suddenly came upon the
red-bearded man -- giving money to a groom of mine! He ran off at
once, as you may guess, and I discharged the groom where he stood,
and would not allow him into the stables again. He offered no
explanation or excuse, but took himself off, and half an hour afterwards
I almost sent away my head boy too. For when I told him of the
dismissal, he admitted that he had seen that same groom taking money
off my nephew at the back of the of stables, an hour before, and had not
informed me! He said that he thought that as it was 'only Mr. Richard' it
didn't matter. Fool! Anyway, the groom has gone, and, so far as I can
tell as yet, the colt is all right. I examined him at once, of course; and I
also turned over a box that Weeks, the groom, used to keep brushes and
odd things in. There I found this paper full of powder. I don't yet know
what it is, but it's certainly nothing he had any business with in the
stable. Will you take it?
"And now," Mr Telfer went on, "I'm in such an uneasy state that I want
your advice and assistance. Quite apart from the suspicious -- more
than suspicious -- circumstances I have informed you of, I am certain --
I know it without being able to give precise reasons -- I am certain that
some attempt is being made at disabling Janissary before Thursday's

race. I feel it in my bones, so to speak. I had the same suspicion just
before that Two Thousand, when Matfelon was got at. The thing was in
the air, as it is now. Perhaps it's a sort of instinct; but I rather think it is
the result of an unconscious absorption of a number of little indications
about me. Be it as it may, I am resolved to leave no opening to the
enemy if I can help it, and I want to see if you can suggest any further
precautions beyond those I am taking. Come and look at the stables."
Dorrington could see no opening for any piece of rascality by which he
might make more of the case than by serving his client loyally, so he
resolved to do the latter. He followed Mr. Telfer through the training
stables, where eight or nine thoroughbreds stood, and could suggest no
improvement upon the exceptional precautions that already existed.
"No," said Dorrington, "I don't think you can do any better than this --
at least on this, the inner line of defence. But it is best to make the outer
lines secure first. By the way, this isn't Janissary, is it? We saw him
farther up the row, didn't we?"
"Oh no, that's a very different sort of colt, though he does look like,
doesn't he? People who've been up and down the stables once or twice
often confuse them. They're both bays, much of a build, and about the
same height, and both have a bit of stocking on the same leg, though
Janissary's is bigger, and this animal has a white star. But you never
saw two creatures look so like and run so differently. This is a dead
loss -- not worth his feed. If I can manage to wind him up to something
like a gallop I shall try to work him off in a selling plate somewhere;
but as far as I can see he isn't good enough even for that. He's a
disappointment. And his stock's far better than Janissary's too, and he
cost half as much again! Yearlings are a lottery. Still, I've drawn a prize
or two among them, at one time or another."
"Ah yes, so I've heard. But now as to the outer defences I was speaking