confident of cleaning out "the emigrant," as they called father. They
were a hard looking crowd. They wore their pantaloons in their boots;
their hair was long, bushy and untrimmed; their faces had evidently never
made the acquaintance of a razor. They seemed determined to win the race
by fair means or foul. They did a great deal of swearing, and swaggered
about in rather a ruffianly style.

All these incidents attracted my attention--everything being new to
me--and became firmly impressed upon my memory. My father, being
unaccustomed to the ways of such rough people, acted very cautiously; and
as they were all very anxious to bet on their own horse, he could not be
induced to wager a very large sum on Little Gray, as he was afraid of
foul play.

"Wa-al, now, stranger," exclaimed one of the crowd, "what kind o' critter
have you got anyhow, as how you're afraid to back him up very heavy?"

"I'll bet five to one agin the emergrant's, gray," said another.

"I'm betting the same way. I'll go yer five hundred dollars agin a
hundred that the gray nag gits left behind. Do I hear any man who wants
to come agin me on them yer terms?" shouted still another.

"Hi! yer boys, give the stranger a chance. Don't scare him out of
his boots," said a man who evidently was afraid that my father
might back out.

Father had but little to say, however, and would not venture more than
fifty dollars on the result of the race.