"Oh, they're coming! They're coming!" the girls carolled in great excitement and anticipation.
"Oh, look! Do look!" one of them said, clutching the shoulder of her neighbor. "He's in the red canoe! It's Willie Dawdle, and he's ahead! Hurrah for Edgemere! Oh, he's coming, he's coming! I knew we'd annihilate them, I just knew it! Oh, it's simply glorious!"
"Hurrah for Bridgeboro!" shouted Pee-wee.
"Hurrah for Edgemere!" shouted the girls.
The two canoes, with Edgemere a little ahead as well as they could see, came gliding up the river, two streaks, red and green, in the sunshine …
CHAPTER XXIX
THE RACE
The canoe race, which was the first of the events, was also the best—as well as the last. Never was there wilder excitement on Pee-wee's island than when the green and red canoes glided northward, approaching the turning point.
The red canoe skilfully paddled by the Edgemere champion, Willie Dawdle, was some yards ahead and gaining rapidly and the girls from Edgemere High School could not contain themselves for joy. Among the Alligator Patrol, too, the excitement ran high and shout upon shout for Bridgeboro arose as Wingate Chase spurted to get the inner turn about the island. He gained fast now and as the distance between the two canoes shortened the air was rent with deafening yells for Bridgeboro.