it is the summer of the year 1946. alec ramsey is on a ship with his father off the coast of north africa. alec discovers a black stallion on the ship. it is tied to ropes and upset. alec feeds the hourse sugar. the owner rebukes him. later alec's father shows him the things he won from a card game. two items are a pocket kife and a small statue of bucephalus. bucephalus was the horse of alexander the great.