The thirty half-crowns were now collected and handed over to McKeon; the names of the eight horses expected to start scrawled in pencil on the backs of fragments of race-bills; and those, together with the blanks, deposited in the hat, which was carried round by one of the party. "Ah! now, Pat, come to me last," said Gayner; "I've never any luck with the first haul; never mind, I'll take it," and he drew a lot, "and, by the Virgin, Tony, I've got my own mare!" "Have you got Playful, Gayner?" said a dozen at once. This made their chance less, for Playful was second favourite. Brown was next, and he got a blank; and the next, and the next. "I've drawn Brickbat," said Fitzpatrick, "a d----d good horse; he won the hunters' plate at Tuam last year." "Oh! I wish you joy," said Gayner, "for he won't start to-morrow, my boy: he's at Tuam now." "Begad! he'll start as soon as yourself, Bob," said little Larry; "he came to Castleknock last night, and he's at Frenchpark now: Murphy from Frenchpark is to ride him." These details brought Brickbat up in the market. "They might have left him at Tuam then, and saved themselves money," said Gayner. "Why, he hadn't had a gallop last Tuesday week; I was in his stable myself. If Burke's cattle had been as fat at Ballinasloe, he'd have got better prices." "I say, McKeon," said Fitzpatrick, "what odds will you bet Bob doesn't buy Brickbat himself?" The hat went round, and others got blanks. Ussher got Miss Fidget, Larry Kelly's mare, and was advised in a whisper by that cunning little gentleman--who meant to buy Conqueror by way of a hedge, and who therefore wanted to swell the stakes--to be sure and buy the mare himself, for she didn't know how to fall; "and," he added, "you know she's no weight on her;" and when Ussher looked at Larry Kelly, who was to ride her himself, he couldn't but think the latter part was true. Then Nicholas Blake drew Kickie-wickie, the officer's mare, whereupon the gallant Captain, who knew Blake was a sporting fellow, thought this was a good opportunity to sound that gentleman about getting him a rider, and began whispering to him all the qualities of the mare; how she could do everything a mare should do; how high she was bred and how well she was trained, and how she was like the poacher, and could "leap on anywhere;" for all which, and Kickie-wickie herself, with her owner into the bargain, Blake did not care a straw;--for he was confident of winning himself with the Galway horse, Thunderer.