"it is a long ride to the house of david," said jacob. "your horse is footsore; take abra."
but ephraim broke in: "if you care for speed and wise feet beneath you, tabari herself is there."
he whistled as jacob had done before, but with another grace-note at the end.
"those of my household answer when they are called," continued the old man proudly. "listen!"
a soft whinny out of the darkness, and tabari galloped into the firelight, and stopped at the side of her master motionless.
"choose," said ephraim.
he smiled at jacob, who in return was darkly silent.
the mare tugged at the heartstrings of connor, but he answered, slipping carefully into the formal language which apparently was approved most in the valley.
"she is worthy of a king, but abra was offered to me first. but will he carry a saddle?"
"he will carry anything but a whip," said jacob, casting a glance of triumph at ephraim. "you will see!" he was already busy at the knot under the flap of connor's saddle, and presently he slipped the saddle from the back of the chestnut. "come!" he called.
abra came, but he came like a fighter into the ring, dancing, ready for trouble.
"fool!" shouted jacob, stamping. "fool, and grandson of a fool, stand!"
the ears of abra flicked back along his neck and he trembled as the saddle was swung over him. under its impact he crouched and shuddered, but the outbreak of bucking for which connor waited did not come. the jerk on the cinch brought a snort from him, but that was all.
"we may not put iron in his mouth," said jacob, as connor came up with the bridle, "but a touch on this will turn him or stop him, as you wish."
as he spoke he picked up a small rope, which he knotted around the neck of abra close to the ears, and handed the end to connor.
"look!" he said to the horse, pointing to connor. "this is your master to-night. bear him as you would bear me, abra, without leaping or stumbling, smoothly, as son of khalissa should do. and hark," he added in the ear of the young stallion; "if the mare of joseph outruns you, you are no horse of my household, but a mongrel, a bloodless knave."
joseph was already trotting through the gate and growing dim beyond, so connor put his foot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle. he landed as upon springs, all the lithe body of the stallion giving under the shock; and connor felt a quivering power beneath him like the vibration of a racing motor. abra's eyes glinted as he threw his head high to take stock of the new master.
"go," commanded jacob; "and remember your speed, for the honor of him who trained you!"
the last words were whipped away from the ear of connor and trailed into a murmur behind him, for without a preliminary step abra sprang from a stand into a full gallop. that forward lurch swayed connor far back; he lost touch with his stirrups, but, clinging desperately with his knees, he was presently able to right himself. there was hard gravel beneath them, but the gait was as soft as if abra ran in deep sand without labor; there was no more wrench and shock than the ghost of a man riding a ghost of a horse.
a column of black shot by on either hand; connor was through the gate to the garden of eden and rushing down the slope beyond. he knew this dimly, but chiefly he was aware only of the whipping of the wind. something ephraim had said came into his memory: "if there were ten like abra in one corral, and one like tabari in another, a wise man—" but, no doubt, ephraim had jested.
for, glancing up, he saw the tops of tall trees rushing past him against the sky, and for the first time he knew the speed of that gallop. in his exultation he threw up his hand, and his shout rang before him and behind. that taught him a lesson he would never forget when he sat the saddle on an eden gray; for abra lurched into a run with a suddenness that swayed connor against the cantle again.
he steadied himself quickly and called to abra; the first word cut down that racing gait to the long, free stride, but the brief rush had taken the breath of the rider, and now he looked about him.
he had been in california years before, and now he recognized the peculiar, clean perfume of the trees which lined the road; they were the eucalyptus, and they fenced the way with a gigantic hedge several rows deep. it was a winding road that they followed, dipping over a rolling ground and swinging leisurely from side to side to avoid high places, so that the vista of the trees was continually in motion, twisting back and forth; or when he looked straight up he saw the slender tree-points brushing past the stars. so he galloped into a long, straight stretch with a pale gleam of water beyond it; and between he saw joseph.
it was strange that in spite of the speed of abra, joseph's mare had not been overtaken; for no matter what quality the mare might have, she carried in the gigantic negro an impost of some two hundred and fifty pounds. a suspicion of discourtesy on his part must have come to joseph, for now he brought his horse back to a canter that allowed connor to come close, so close indeed that he saw joseph laughing in a horrible soundless way and beckoning him on, very much as though he challenged abra. surely the fellow must know that no horse could concede such weight to abra, but connor waved his arm to signify that he accepted the challenge, and called on abra.
there followed the breathless lunge forward, the sinking of the body as the stride lengthened, the whir of wind against his face; connor sat the saddle erect, smiling, and waited for joseph to come back to him.
but joseph did not come, and as the mare reached the river and her hoofs rang on the bridge connor saw with unspeakable wonder that he had actually lost ground. once more he called on abra, and as they struck the bridge in turn the young stallion was fully extended, while connor swung forward in the saddle to throw more weight on the withers and take the strain from the long back muscles. leaning close to the neck of abra, with the mane whipping his face, he squinted down the road at joseph, and growled with savage satisfaction as he saw the mare drift back to him. if he could reach her with a sprint she was beaten, for she bore the extra burden. once more he called on abra, and heard a slight grunt as the stallion gave the last burst of his strength; the hoofs of the two roared on the hard road, and joseph came back hand over hand. connor, laughing exultantly, squinted into the wind.
"good boy!" he muttered. "good old abra! if he had salvator under him we'd get him at this rate. we're on his hip—now!"
he was indeed in touch with the flying mare, and, looking through the dimness, he marveled at her long, free swing, the level drive of the croup, and—he saw with astonishment—her pricking ears! not as if she were racing, but merely galloping. he flattened himself along the neck of abra and called on him again, slapped his shoulder with the flat of his hand, flicked him along the flank with the butt of the rope; but the mare held him invincibly; he could not gain the breadth of a hair, and by the pounding of abra's forefeet he knew that the stallion was running himself out. at that moment, to crown his bewilderment, joseph turned, laughing again in that soundless way. only for a moment; then he turned, and, leaning over the withers of his mount, the mare lengthened, it seemed to connor, and moved away.
her hips went past him, then her tail, flying out straight behind, a streak of silver; and last of all, there was the hiss of derision from joseph whistling back to him.
connor threw himself back into the saddle and brought the stallion down to a moderate pace. one hand was clutched at his throat, for it seemed to him that his heart was beating there. before him raced a vision of ben connor, king of the racetracks of the world, with horses no handicapper could measure.
