It
was evident that the first over must win; and as each man measured
the other's stride, the intense anxiety of the moment nearly rose to
madness.

From the instant of entering the field I had marked out with my eye
where I meant to take the leap. Burke had evidently done this also; and
we now slightly diverged, each to his allotted spot. The pace was awful.
All thought of danger lost, or forgotten, we came nearer and nearer with
knitted brow and clenched lip--I, the first. Already I was on the side;
with a loud cry and a cut of my whip I rose my horse to it. The noble
beast sprang forward, but his strength was spent, and he fell downwards
on his head. Recovering him without losing my seat, I scrambled up the
opposite bank and looked round. Burke, who had pressed the pace so hotly
before, had only done so to blow my horse and break him down at his
leap; and I saw him now approaching the fence with his mare fully in
hand, and her haunches well under her. Unable to move forward, save at a
walk, I turned in my saddle to watch him. He came boldly to the brink
of the fence; his hand was up prepared to strike; already the mare was
collecting herself for the effort, when from the bottom of the gripe a
figure sprang wildly up, and as the horse rose into the air, he jumped
at the bridle, pulling down both the horse and the rider with a crash
upon him, a loud cry of agony rising amid the struggle.

As they disappeared from my sight I felt like one in a trance. All
thoughts, however, were lost in the desire to win; and collecting my
energies for a last struggle, I lifted the gallant grey with both hands,
and by dint of spurring and shaking, pressed him to a canter, and rode
in, the winner, amid the deafening cheers and cries of thousands.

'Keep back! keep back!' cried Mahon, restraining with his whip the crowd
that bore down upon me. 'Hinton, take care that no one touches your
horse; ride inside, take off your saddle and get into the scale.'

Moving onwards like one in a dream, I mechanically obeyed the direction,
while the cries and shouts around me grew each moment louder and wilder.

'Here he comes! here he comes!' shouted several voices; and Burke
galloped up, and without drawing rein rode into the weighing-stand.

'Foul play!' roared he in a tone hoarse with passion. 'I protest against
the race! Holloa, sir!' he shouted, turning towards me.

'There, there!' said Mahon, as he hurried me along towards the scale,
'you h