, boys, this is their racer all right. This is the famous Buckskin
Cayuse. He's a good one. Now you see why they want him shod."

What a temptation it was to the white men; how easy it would have been
for Shives to put one nail in a trifle deep, to send that pony forth
shod--well shod--but shod so that within the next ten miles he would go
lame, and in the race, a month ahead, fall far behind--if, indeed, he
raced at all. Yet, to his credit be it said that Shives handled that
pony as though it were his own; he gave him every care, and Red Cloud
paid the five dollars and rode away content.

Jim gazed after the little band as they loped gently down the street and
round the curve till a bank cut off the view. "Say, boys, this is
great," he said, "I wouldn't have missed it for anything. There's going
to be a real race this year."

There could be no question of that. The securing of Blazing Star was a
guarantee of a wonderful event if widespread interest and fine
horseflesh could make it so.

CHAPTER XXXVII

The Boom

With the definite assurance of Blazing Star being entered, every man in
Fort Ryan focussed his thoughts on how he might best turn the race to
account, wipe out the damage of the last defeat, and recoup his loss
with a double profit. They were very sorry for themselves, most of these
losers; especially sorry that they, who could really enjoy money and who
had actual need of so much, should lose their all to a lot of Indians
who neither sought nor cared for cash and whose only pleasure in the
race was the gambling spirit, the excitement of the game. This time the
whites were going to leave no stone unturned to make a "killing." Every
plan was discussed, and there were not lacking those who called Shives
by ugly names--behind his back--for not seizing on the chance, when it
was so easily in his hands, to put the Indian racer under shadow of a
sure defeat. But they made no such speeches when the Colonel was in
hearing.

Yet, after all, what did it matter? They had the ace in their hands now.
There was no horse on the plains could run with Blazing Star; and,
training with him, in the best of care, was the Red Rover, only a little
less swift than the Star, now that careful methods had brought him his
full-grown strength and speed. Microscopic studies were made of every
fact that seemed to furnish a gauge of the horses' powers, and this was
clear: Blazing Star was easily first; Red Rover would make a g