The Case of Janissary | Page 7

had told me that he hadn't thought it worth while to turn up this
morning. Here he comes."
Naylor, with his red beard sticking out over the collar of his big coat,
came slouching along with an awkwardly assumed air of carelessness
and absence of mind.
"Hullo!" he said suddenly, as he came abreast of the horse, turning as
though but now aware of its presence, "that's a valuable sort of horse,
ain't it, my lad?"

"Yes," said the boy, "it is. He's goin' to win the Redbury Stakes
tomorrow. It's Janissary."
"Oh! Janey Sairey, is it?" Naylor answered, with a quaint affectation of
gaping ignorance. "Janey Sairey, eh? Well, she do look a fine 'orse,
what I can see of 'er. What a suit o' clo'es! An' so she's one o' the 'orses
that runs in races, is she? Well, I never! Pretty much like other 'orses,
too, to look at, ain't she? Only a bit thin in the legs."
The boy stood carelessly by the colt's side, and the man approached.
His hand came quickly from an inner pocket, and then he passed it
under Hamid's cloths, near the shoulder. "Ah, it do feel a lovely skin, to
be sure!" he said. "An' so there's goin' to be races at Redbury tomorrow,
is there? I dunno anythin' about races myself, an' -- Oo my!"
Naylor sprang back as the horse, flinging back its ears, started suddenly,
swung round, and reared. "Lor," he said, "what a vicious brute! Jist
because I stroked her! I'll be careful about touching racehorses again."
His hand passed stealthily to the pocket again, and he hurried on his
way, while the stable-boy steadied and soothed Hamid.
Telfer and Dorrington sniggered quietly in their concealment. "He's
taken a deal of trouble, hasn't he?" Dorrington remarked. "It's a sad
case of the biter bit for Mr. Naylor, I'm afraid. That was a prick the colt
felt -- hypodermic injection with the syringe I saw in the bag, no doubt.
The boy won't be such a fool as to come in again at once, will he? If
Naylor's taking a look back from anywhere, that may make him
suspicious."
"No fear. I've told him to keep out for the half-hour, and he'll do it.
Dear, dear, what an innocent person Mr. Bob Naylor is! 'Well, I never!
Pretty much like other horses!' He didn't know there were to be races at
Redbury! 'Janey Sairey,' too -- it's really very funny!"
Ere the half-hour was quite over, Hamid came stumbling and dragging
into the stable yard, plainly all amiss, and collapsed on his litter as soon
as he gained his stall. There he lay, shivering and drowsy.

"I expect he'll get over it in a day or two," Dorrington remarked. "I
don't suppose a vet could do much for him just now, except, perhaps,
give him a drench and let him take a rest. Certainly, the effect will last
over tomorrow. That's what it is calculated for."

V.
The Redbury Stakes were run at three in the afternoon, after two or
three minor events had been disposed of. The betting had undergone
considerable fluctuations during the morning, but in general it ruled
heavily against Janissary. The story had got about, too, that Mr. Warren
Telfer's colt would not start. So that when the numbers went up, and it
was seen that Janissary was starting after all, there was much
astonishment, and a good deal of uneasiness in the ring.
"It's a pity we can't see our friend Naylor's face just now, isn't it?"
Dorrington remarked to his client, as they looked on from Mr. Telfer's
drag.
"Yes; it would be interesting," Telfer replied. "He was quite confident
last night, you say."
"Quite. I tested him by an offer of a small bet on your colt, asking some
points over the odds, and he took it at once. Indeed, I believe he has
been going about gathering up all the wagers he could about Janissary,
and the market has felt it. Your nephew has risked some more with him,
I believe, and altogether it looks as though the town would spoil the
'bookies' badly."
As the horses came from the weighing enclosure, Janissary was seen
conspicuous among them, bright, clean, and firm, and a good many
faces lengthened at the sight. The start was not so good as it might have
been, but the favourite (the starting-price had gone to evens) was not
left, and got away well in the crowd of ten starters. There he lay till
rounding the bend, when the Telfer blue and chocolate was seen among
the foremost, and near the rails. Mr. Telfer almost trembled as he

watched through his glasses.
"Hang that Willett!" he said, almost to himself. "He's too clever against
those rails before