“I tell you what we might do,” said Nelson. “We might go over and see the start. That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”
“Let’s do it!” cried Dan. “Then we can decide meanwhile where we’re going.”
The idea suited all hands, and it was agreed that they should spend the forenoon in cleaning up and run over to the scene of the race after luncheon. “And,” said Dan, “let’s find out about the race. It ought to be in the morning paper. If one of you fellows will put me ashore, I’ll go and buy one.”
So Bob rowed him to the landing, and when he returned the three got out the mops and metal polish and rags and set to work cleaning up the woodwork and polishing the brass. They hadn’t nearly finished by the time Dan hailed from the landing. Tom brought him aboard. He had found a paper and was full of the race. All hands stopped work while he read the account of it.
The race was a handicap affair for cruising launches, and there were twelve entries. The start was to be made the next afternoon, at six o’clock, from Marblehead, and the boats were to race to College Point, N.Y., a distance of about three hundred miles.
“But if it isn’t until to-morrow at six,” asked Tom, “what’s the use of going over there this afternoon?”
“That’s so,” said Bob. “We might as well wait until to-morrow morning.”
“But what shall we do this afternoon? Run up to Portland and back?” asked Nelson laughingly.
“Let’s cruise around here,” said Bob. “And you can show me how to run the engine. Some one ought to know, Nel, in case anything happened to you.”
“All right. We’ll finish cleaning up, and then take a run around the harbor if there’s time before lunch. If there isn’t, we’ll go afterwards. How’s that?”