They'll come back after a while and the ponies will walk away to the finish." "Have you noticed," broke in Mrs.Corson, "that the poor old faded chestnut seems to be keeping up fairly well ?" For as the bay mares cut around into the lead, Alcatraz was seen at the heels of the range horses, running easily.

It seemed, with a great elastic stride.
"But--but--it's not the same horse!" Marianne gasped.
To be sure, Alcatraz in motion was transformed, the hollows among his ribs forgotten, and the broken spirit replaced by power, the electric power of the racer.
"It looks very much to me as if the Mexican is pulling that horse, too," said Marianne.

For Cordova rode with legs braced, keeping a tight pull that bent the head of Alcatraz down.

He might have served for a statue of fear.

"And notice that he makes no effort to break around the range horses or through them.