There were still several hours of daylight left, and for want of some better way of passing the time, as well as to put themselves in trim for the coming canoe meet, Tom and his cousins decided that they would spend the rest of the afternoon on the water. Ever since their canoes came into their possession they had been assiduously practicing with their double paddles, and Tom, who was quick to learn any thing that required strength and skill for its execution, was fast becoming an expert canoeist. In a hurry-scurry or portage race he could beat either of his cousins, and on this particular afternoon he wanted to try an upset race, of which he had that day heard for the first time.
“I saw an upset race rowed, or rather paddled, during the meet of the American Canoe Association at Lake George last summer, and I wonder that I didn’t think to speak of it,” said Ralph. “Well, better late than never. We will go up to the head of the lake, where no one will be likely to see us, and make our first trial. We are all good swimmers, and it seems to me that we ought to make good time. The secret lies in getting back into our canoes after we have upset them. If we can learn to do that easily and quickly, we will stand a chance of putting Joe Wayring to his mettle, even if we don’t beat him in the race.”
The boys went into the boat-house by a side door, and about ten minutes afterward the front door swung open, and two Shadow canoes and one Rob Roy were pushed into the water, and as many young fellows, dressed in light gymnastic suits, sprang into them and paddled up the lake. They met a few sailing parties, who waved their handkerchiefs and hats to them as they shot by, and at the end of half an hour reached a wide and deep cove near the head of the lake. This was their practice ground. They had chosen it for that purpose because it was a retired spot, and so effectually concealed by the long, wooded point at the entrance, that a fleet of boats might have sailed by without knowing that there was any one in the cove.
“We’ll start from this side and go across and back, as we have done heretofore,” said Ralph, who led the way in his Rob Roy. “We’ll upset twice—once while we are going, and once while we are coming.”
“But how does a fellow get into his canoe after he gets out of it?” inquired Tom.
“The rule is to climb in over the stern and work your way to your seat,” replied Ralph. “But at Lake George I saw some of the contestants throw themselves across the cock-pit and get in that way. We’ll try both plans, and each fellow can adopt the one that suits him best.”
When the boys had taken up their positions at safe distances from one another, Ralph gave a shrill whistle and away they started, the light Rob Roy taking the lead with Tom close behind. A few minutes’ work with the double paddles brought them to the middle of the cove, and then Ralph uttered another whistle. An instant later the three canoeists were in the water. The Rob Roy turned completely over and came right side up in a twinkling; and at the same moment Ralph’s head bobbed up close alongside. He threw himself across the cock-pit and climbed in with the greatest ease; and while bailing out the water with a tin basin that was tied to one of the timbers of the canoe so that it could not float away or fill and sink, he looked complacently at his companions, who were making desperate efforts to regain their seats by climbing over the sterns of their respective crafts.
“Grab hold of the side of your canoe, draw yourself as far as you can out of the water, turn a hand-spring and land on your feet in the cock-pit,” shouted Ralph, addressing himself to no one in particular. “I saw that done at Lake George last summer by two or three different men.”
“Suppose you do it yourself and show us how,” answered Tom, who having at last succeeded in gaining the deck, was slowly working his way toward his seat; but instead of sitting astride of his canoe, as he ought to have done, he tried to make headway on his hands and knees in order to beat Loren, who was making all haste to reach the cock-pit of his own craft. In his eagerness Tom forgot how cranky his canoe was, and, neglecting to trim her properly, she turned over and let him down into the water again.
Ralph, of course, could have won the race very easily, but he lingered to watch the others, so that they all reached the turning point at the same moment. On the home stretch another upset occurred, and this time Tom and Loren did not waste as many minutes in getting back as they did before. They learned rapidly, and when half a dozen more races had been tried they became so expert that Ralph had little the advantage of them. By this time they began to think they had had enough of the water for one afternoon, so they pulled away for the boat house, Tom easily distancing his cousins, who tried in vain to keep up with him.