“It was a stiff race though, wasn’t it?”
“It was, indeed!”
As soon as he saw that he had lost Paxton fell down in his boat and put his hand to his side.
“What’s the matter, Paxton?” asked George Strong, who was in a boat nearby.
“Got a—a pain in—my—side,” gasped Paxton. “It’s the old trouble, sir.”
“That’s too bad.”
“I—I could have won if—it—wasn’t—for—that,” went on Paxton.
“Possibly,” returned the assistant teacher.
“He and his crew were beat clean and clear,” whispered one of the cadets nearby, and this opinion was the opinion of the majority who witnessed the race.
When Jack and his crew landed at the boathouse a crowd surrounded them, slapping them on the backs and shaking hands.