“Looks ain’t much,” said Buck.
“The looks of that tub of yours aren’t, anyway,” said Herb sarcastically. “A few gallons of paint would make it look more like a real boat.”
“Oh, is that so?” said Buck, with a sneer. “Well, let me tell you, this is a fast boat. We can make circles around that thing you’ve got there.”
“Open her up, Buck, and run away from them,” urged Lutz. “Show them what speed looks like.”
“We’ll have to admit you fellows are good at running away,” commented Joe. “But this time it may not be as easy as you think.”
“We’ll show you!” squeaked Terry Mooney. “Open ’er up, Buck.”
His amiable friend did “open ’er up,” and, with a terrific noise from the exhaust and a cloud of smoke, their boat darted ahead.
But Bob opened the throttle of the Sea Bird a little, and their boat surged forward, apparently without an effort, until they were again abreast of the Looker coterie.
“What’s the matter, Buck?” queried Joe, with mock solicitude. “Won’t it go any faster to-day?”
Both boats were hitting a pretty speedy clip, and this question seemed to infuriate Buck.