Page:A Bayard from Bengal.djvu/145

Rh for the champagne soon rendered Milky Way playful as a kitten. Mr Bhosh ascended into his saddle; the other horses were drawn up in single rank; the starter brandished his flagand the curtain rose on such a race as has, perhaps, never been equalled in the annals of the Derby.

The rival cracks were named as follows: Topsy Turvey, Poojah, Brandy Pawnee, Tiffin Bell, Tripod, Cut Bono, British Jurisprudence and Roseate Smell. The betting was even on the field.

Poojah was a large tall horse with a nude tail, but excessively nimble; Tripod, on the contrary, was a small cob of sluggish habits and needing to be constantly pricked; Tiffin Bell was a piebald of goodly proportions; and Roseate Smell was of same sex as Milky Way, though more vixenish in character.

Not long after the start Mr Bhosh was chagrined to discover that he was all behind-hand, and he almost despaired of overtaking