Without a word all hands, keen for a race as soon as one was suggested, took seats, and the two boats veered out into the bay and “lined up” for the start. Denny was the proudest engineer imaginable, and constantly looked over the fine mechanism.
“Ready!” shouted Ed, and at the word both throttles were thrown wide open and the boats shot up the bay, emitting clouds of smoke from their newly oiled works, and “chugging” so rapidly that the sounds were drowned in a roar. It was a pretty sight, for in the girls’ boat a line of colored sweaters and waving caps lent life to the gray of the waters, while Drayton, in his glistening, highly-polished Dixie, only needed the glint that the sun lent to complete the picture afforded by his fine craft.
“Oh, isn’t this glorious!” exclaimed Marita. “I thought I should be frightened, but this is—lovely.”
“Frightened!” repeated Belle. “I used to be so afraid of the water I couldn’t see anything but the bottom every time I came out; but now I just love it.”
“Hey there, Dray!” shouted Ed. “You’re out of the course. Get in from shore!”
“He’s keeping his eye on those girls on the beach,” laughed Walter. “Those are the lassies who have the white canoe.” So saying he waved his own cap and a flutter of handkerchiefs from the beach came back in recognition.
“Turn at the island,” ordered Denny.
Here a white flag fluttered, the stake left from some recent sailing races. Gracefully the Chelton rounded the stake first. Drayton had lost time in running too close to shore. Only a minute later the Dixie swayed after the Chelton, then the final stretch was taken up in earnest. Spectators on the bank might wave now, but the motorists had no eyes for them. A slight miss in the Chelton’s explosion brought Denny and Ed to their feet—there should be no break in the rhythm of that chug.
“She’s all right,” Ed called to the old sailor, “only too much oil.”
Denny shook his head lest a word might interfere with the boat’s motion. Dray stood up and did something that caused the bow of his boat to shoot up, while the stern seemed to bury itself in the waves.