In his hand he held a hard whip, which he raised menacingly. Then he let the whip fall on the Black’s hindquarters and the stallion screamed. It was unlike anything Alec had ever heard before; it rose to a high-pitched whistle, the cry of a wild, unbroken stallion! He bolted, and if Alec had ever seen hate expressed by a horse, he had seen it then. The stallion struck one of the men holding the rope; he went down and lay in a still, lifeless heap. Eventually they had gotten the giant horse on the ship and in his stall.

Alec looked at Henry and realized the old man knew what he had been thinking. “You believe it might have been the man on the boat? Is that what you mean, Henry?”

“Could be, Alec.”

“But the storm, shipwreck … he was drowned. I saw him go down with my own eyes.”

“And his name wasn’t listed among the survivors?” Henry asked.

“No … there were only a few, as you know.”

“The last you saw of him was when he fell overboard … that right, Alec?”

“He didn’t exactly fall, Henry. He jumped for an already filled lifeboat and missed … he didn’t have a life jacket and there was such a sea that I couldn’t see him after that. A few minutes later the Drake cracked up and I was in the water, too. I saw the Black and the rope on his halter and grabbed it. The next thing I knew I was on the island. You know the rest.…”

“And after they found you … and during your trip home … you heard nothin’ to indicate that the Black’s owner was alive?”

“No, Henry … nothing. One lifeboat containing ten people was found, that’s all, and he wasn’t among them. I’m sure he couldn’t have lived in that heavy sea. Another thing, Henry, I don’t think for a moment that he was the owner of the Black.”

“Y’mean you think he had stolen him?”

“Yes. For one thing, he acted as though he had … always kept to himself. Then he was too cruel to the Black. If he owned him, he wouldn’t have done the things that he did.”

“Can’t tell, Alec. I’ve seen some purty hard horse owners in my time. Still, maybe you’re right … he’s a lot of horse and even without seein’ him run some people would pay a mighty handsome price for him.”

As Henry walked across the room, his foot struck a small metallic object. He stooped and picked it up. “What’s this?”

“Looks like a gold neck chain … but what’s that disc in the center, Henry?”

Henry walked over underneath the light and took a closer look at the disc. “Seems to be a bird of some kind,” he muttered. He handed the chain to Alec. “Make it out?” he asked.

A large bird carved in white ivory was embossed upon a gold disc which hung from the chain. Its long, powerful wings were outstretched in flight. Alec noticed the beak, hooked at the point, and long claws on short, strong legs. Two tiny red stones had been used for eyes. “I’m sure it’s a falcon, Henry. My Uncle Ralph had a couple when I was in India and I’ve seen others … although never any white ones like this.