The blow caused the Black to miss his mark, and the stallion swerved abruptly, almost unseating Alec.

A moment later both stallions had come to a stop and were turning upon each other. Kashmir’s jockey slid down from his horse. Alec fought the Black, trying to get him away. But the stallion rose to meet Kashmir. As Alec went up with him, he saw Henry and the other men, pitchforks and shovels in their hands, move in on the two fighting stallions.

The sorrel veered away at sight of the men and they caught him. When the Black came down, he bucked hard and Alec was thrown to the ground. For a moment he thought he was going to lose consciousness. When his vision cleared, there were many men holding on to the Black’s bridle and they had a rope about his neck.

Alec knew that it was all over now, for this was the Black’s answer. There would be no International Cup race for him.

An hour later, Alec stood quietly beside the Black in the closed stall. They were alone, for Henry had gone to the Race Secretary’s office to withdraw the Black’s name from the entries in the International Cup race.

Alec stood in the corner of the stall, waiting for the Black to come to him. He wanted desperately to make amends for bringing him here where he wasn’t meant to be. He accepted the blame for all that had happened. Henry had warned him, but he had gone his way, believing he could control the Black despite the stallion’s natural instinct to fight.

But all that was behind him now. He would start over again. He’d take the Black to the farm. Dad would meet him there, and they’d go ahead with their original plans while Henry raced Satan. Alec didn’t even want to see the running of the International Cup. He’d stay at the farm with the Black.

“I know I’ve got a lot to make up for,” he told the stallion. “None of it was your fault. You only did what your natural instinct drove you to do. You haven’t been trained like the others. And in many ways I’m glad. I want you the way you are, and that’s why we’re going away.”

He had stood there a long while before the Black moved in his direction. But the stallion stopped a few feet away and without moving closer stretched his head to him. Alec let him nuzzle his pocket, seeking the carrot that was there. He raised his hand to the Black’s nose, but the stallion pulled back at his touch. Alec held the carrot out to him. The stallion extended his head again, and as Alec fed it to him he succeeded in gently touching the soft nose.

For a long while he remained beside the Black before leaving the stall. Outside he saw the group gathered again in front of El Dorado’s stall. It seemed that everyone was there, including the press.