The next two obstacles, the water course and the barrier, were

easily crossed, but Vronsky began to hear the snorting and thud

of Gladiator closer upon him. He urged on his mare, and to his

delight felt that she easily quickened her pace, and the thud of

Gladiator's hoofs was again heard at the same distance away.

Vronsky was at the head of the race, just as he wanted to be and

as Cord had advised, and now he felt sure of being the winner.

His excitement, his delight, and his tenderness for Frou-Frou

grew keener and keener. He longed to look round again, but he

did not dare do this, and tried to be cool and not to urge on his

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mare so to keep the same reserve of force in her as he felt that

Gladiator still kept. There remained only one obstacle, the most

difficult; if he could cross it ahead of the others he would come

in first. He was flying towards the Irish barricade, Frou-Frou

and he both together saw the barricade in the distance, and both

the man and the mare had a moment's hesitation. He saw the

uncertainty in the mare's ears and lifted the whip, but at the

same time felt that his fears were groundless; the mare knew what

was wanted. She quickened her pace and rose smoothly, just as he

had fancied she would, and as she left the ground gave herself up

to the force of her rush, which carried her far beyond the ditch;

and with the same rhythm, without effort, with the same leg

forward, Frou-Frou fell back into her pace again.

"Bravo, Vronsky!" he heard shouts from a knot of men--he knew

they were his friends in the regiment--who were standing at the

obstacle. He could not fail to recognize Yashvin's voice though

he did not see him.

"O my sweet!" he said inwardly to Frou-Frou, as he listened for

what was happening behind. "He's cleared it!" he thought,

catching the thud of Gladiator's hoofs behind him. There

remained only the last ditch, filled with water and five feet

wide. Vronsky did not even look at it, but anxious to get in a

long way first began sawing away at the reins, lifting the mare's

head and letting it go in time with her paces. He felt that the

mare was at her very last reserve of strength; not her neck and

shoulders merely were wet, but the sweat was standing in drops on

her mane, her head, her sharp ears, and her breath came in short,

sharp gasps. But he knew that she had strength left more than

enough for the remaining five hundred yards. It was only from

feeling himself nearer the ground and from the peculiar

smoothness of his motion that Vronsky knew how greatly the mare

had quickened her pace. She flew over the ditch as though not

noticing it. She flew over it like a bird; but at the same

instant Vronsky, to his horror, felt that he had failed to keep

up with the mare's pace, that he had, he did not know how, made a

fearful, unpardonable mistake, in recovering his seat in the

saddle. All at once his position had shifted and he knew that

something awful had happened. He could not yet make out what had

happened, when the white legs of a chestnut horse flashed by

close to him, and Mahotin passed at a swift gallop. Vronsky was

touching the ground with one foot, and his mare was sinking on

that foot. He just had time to free his leg when she fell on one

side, gasping painfully, and, making vain efforts to rise with

her delicate, soaking neck, she fluttered on the ground at his

feet like a shot bird. The clumsy movement made by Vronsky had

broken her back. But that he only knew much later. At that

moment he knew only that Mahotin had flown swiftly by, while he

stood staggering alone on the muddy, motionless ground, and

Frou-Frou lay gasping before him, bending her head back and

gazing at him with her exquisite eyes. Still unable to realize

what had happened, Vronsky tugged at his mare's reins. Again she

struggled all over like a fish, and her shoulders setting the

saddle heaving, she rose on her front legs but unable to lift her

back, she quivered all over and again fell on her side. With a

face hideous with passion, his lower jaw trembling, and his

cheeks white, Vronsky kicked her with his heel in the stomach and

again fell to tugging at the rein. She did not stir, but

thrusting her nose into the ground, she simply gazed at her

master with her speaking eyes.




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