Free The Island Stallion Races by Walter Farley Page B

a chance to enjoy ourselves while still keeping an eye on the ship.”
    “Maybe so, but we still have our moral obligations.”
    “You didn’t think of moral obligations when we were on Mao,” Jay grumbled.
    The red streak reappeared in Flick’s eyes. “You promised not to mention that again,” he said fiercely.
    “I only promised not to report you to Julian, providing you’d give me a little more cooperation than you have in the past,” Jay reminded him.
    “Well, haven’t I?” Flick demanded, his short hair bristling. “Doesn’t Steve know more about us than anyone else has ever known?”
    “You realize as well as I do that we don’t have to worry about Steve,” Jay returned quietly.
    “Well, didn’t I promise not to report your … 
your experiment
?”
    “Sure. Sure you did.” Jay began moving down the trail. “All right, we’ll go … but really you’re not very adventurous, Flick.”
    Steve followed them down the trail. He knew they wouldn’t allow him to witness their departure. He didn’tunderstand how he knew, but it was there, somewhere in his brain.
    When they had reached the valley floor Steve continued walking with them. He told himself that he was going to see Flame. But he knew that was not his only reason for staying close to Jay and Flick. He did not want them to go. There was still too much he wanted to learn.
    They walked very quietly with their heads down. Perhaps, Steve decided, they were bothered by his presence. Perhaps they wanted him to leave now. But he would have
known
, wouldn’t he? And nothing had as yet told him to go.
    Jay suddenly broke the silence. “There’s something else, Flick,” he blurted. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to watch just one race while I’m here. After all it would
only
be a matter of a few minutes to get to …” He stopped and turned to Steve. “Where’d you say that race was going to be?”
    Steve just looked at him.
    “Yesterday morning while you were riding Flame,” Jay prompted anxiously. “You were racing him somewhere. Now where was it? You were going so fast that it was difficult to …”
    “Jay!”
Flick said, horrified. “You wouldn’t make a trip, even a short one! You
couldn’t
. Why, Julian would be furious!”
    “Julian needn’t know,” Jay answered quietly. He turned back to Steve. “Where was it?”
    Steve said finally, “Cuba … Havana, Cuba.”
    “Oh, yes,” Jay said. “See, Flick, it wouldn’t take any time at all. Julian wouldn’t know, would he, Flick? Afterall, there are some things that don’t need to be reported to him. Your side excursion on Mao, for example.”
    Flick’s face was as taut as stretched wire; he said nothing.
    They walked a few strides more, and then Jay grabbed Steve by the arm excitedly. “Why don’t you and Flame come too, Steve?
You can race him!
That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? We’d have plenty of room in the ship.”
    Steve could not have told how long he stood there in astonished, numbed silence. His only recollection of time afterward was hearing the sudden rush of Flame’s hoofs. The stallion was coming up from behind them, his ears flat against his head, his eyes bright with anger at sight of Jay and Flick.
    Steve ran toward Flame.
    The red stallion slowed when Steve appeared between him and the men, but he did not stop. He swerved to one side and went on, his nostrils flared, lips pulled back.
    Steve tried to swerve with his horse but tripped in his hurried, frantic plunge and went down hard upon his hands and knees. Picking himself up, he turned around. He was about to call to Flame when the sound died quickly on his lips.
Jay and Flick were nowhere to be seen!
    Meanwhile Flame had swept into the wild cane, seeking the men who had escaped him once before! His loud snorts shattered the stillness and his tall body cut great swaths in the waving field of green. He refused to give up his search, galloping in winding paths that took him