If the worst comes, they’ll hear of it soon enough. I guess they’re right. The vet and his assistants are takin’ over completely.”

“Still, I want to stick around,” Alec said as Mr. Ramsay started the car and drove down the street.

“With us it’s different,” Henry returned. “The vet and his boys can handle Satan all right, but not the Black. We’ll have to take care of him ourselves.”

Mr. Ramsay turned the car down the blacktop road and started across the open fields. They had reached the bridge when he said, “And that’s not the only reason it’s different for us, Henry. The others have more horses, if anything should happen to those here. But we don’t. Satan and the Black are all we have … and upon them we have built all our hopes for the future. We have nothing if we lose them.”

Henry glanced at Alec, to find the boy’s gaze directly on the road ahead. “Yes,” the trainer admitted, turning to Mr. Ramsay, “you’re right, of course. But nothin’ is goin’ to happen to either one of ’em. Or to any of the others. I’d wager almost anything that none of the horses here will come down with swamp fever. The chances are good that they’d be showing some symptoms by now if they’d picked up the disease from El Dorado. But none of ‘em show a thing yet … an’ I don’t think they will.”

Coming off the bridge, they continued across the fields until they reached the dirt road. The woods closed in on them, shutting out the morning sun. After going a mile and a half, they came to the sharp left turn and went up the slight incline to the farm.

There was but one van parked in front of the barn, and they looked at it with incredulous eyes.

“Henry!” Alec shouted. “It’s yours!”

“It sure is!” Henry returned. “It’s mine all right. But why did Tony …”

“Look! In the pasture, Henry!” Alec cried.

Then they all saw the gray, sway-backed figure of Napoleon as the horse grazed contentedly in the field.

“But why would Tony get Napoleon?” Mr. Ramsay asked. “I don’t get it at all, Henry.” He brought the car to a stop before the barn. “Not at all,” he repeated.

“I’m beginning to,” Henry said slowly.

“I had a hunch this might be it,” Alec said, getting out of the car. “But I still didn’t believe I could be right.”

Napoleon raised his heavy head, neighing to them before once more turning to the grass.

“What are you two driving at?” Mr. Ramsay asked.

“We think Tony had his own idea as to who should be the test horse,” Henry said, leading the way toward the barn. “But let’s find out for sure.”

Entering the barn, they found the veterinarian and his assistants, all dressed in long white cloaks, leaving Satan’s stall.