Slone had
mastered him, and must always keep the upper hand of him. It had from the
first been a fight between man and beast, and Lucy believed it would always be
so.
But Wildfire was a different horse when he saw Lucy. Day by day evidently
Slone loved him more and tried harder to win a little of what Wildfire showed
at sight of Lucy. Still Slone was proud of Lucy's control over the stallion.
He was just as much heart and soul bent on winning the great race as Lucy was.
She had ridden Wildfire bareback at first, and then they had broken him to the
saddle.
It was serious business, that training of Wildfire, and Slone had peculiar
ideas regarding it. Lucy rode him up and down the pass until he was warm. Then
Slone got on Sarchedon. Wildfire always snorted and showed fight at sight of
Sage King or Nagger, and the stallion Sarchedon infuriated him because
Sarchedon showed fight, too. Slone started out ahead of Lucy, and then they
raced down the long pass. The course was hard-packed sand. Fast as Sarchedon
was, and matchless as a horseman as was Slone, the race was over almost as
soon as it began.
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