Ben Reach did not judge trials much anymore. He was judging now as stand-in for a last-minute no-show. It was an amateur all-age stake.
This was the last brace. Performances had been mediocre. But in this brace the two pointers were getting something done.
Sinkin’ Creek Sam, handled by Bob Blair of Tallahassee, had scored two good finds at the front and run enough. Melina, a first-year setter handled by Billy Camp, a newcomer to the sport, had scored one and was running a better, wider race than Sam. There were minutes left in this last heat. These would Iikely be judged first and second if they finished under judgment.
Time expired with both dogs unseen, last seen at the front five minutes before time expired. It was an hour stake, so each handler had fifteen minutes to show the judges his dog.
Ben and his fellow judge stopped their mounts on a ridge-top to wait and watch. Their mounts were standing fifty yards apart so each judge could see as wide an area of course as practical and still see one another. Their ears were primed for the yell of “Point.”
Minutes ticked away in silence. Then Ben heard the tracker receiver of Billy Camp, attached to a ring on Ben’s saddle, beep. Billy had left the receiver on, presumably inadvertently. By the rules it was supposed to be off. But Billy did not have the receiver, so it was no harm-no foul, Ben assumed.
Ben sat his mount five more minutes. Then temptation got the better of him. He reached down and unbuckled Billy’s tracker receiver from the ring on his saddle and lifted it to his eye-level, turning his face away from his fellow judge so he would not see what Ben was doing. The screen on the device indicated Melina was on point two hundred yards ahead of him dead on course in dense cover.
Just then Billy rode up behind Ben at a canter, his horse lathered. Ben stared in the direction the tracker indicated Melina stood on point, but said nothing, nor did he turn in the saddle to look at Billy. Billy glanced at Ben as he passed, and thought he caught sight of a grin. He rode in the direction Ben was looking. In minutes “Point” rang out in Billy’s voice. Billy had not seen Ben look at his tracker.
Melina was named winner of the stake, Sam second. (He was found by Bob before the grace period expired).