“Really?” Tom marveled. “I didn’t know you could du-du-do that.”
“Lots of them have auxiliaries nowadays. When the wind gives out, they just start their engines and—there you are.”
“Say, that’s swell!” murmured Tom.
“There goes the committee boat!” said Dan excitedly. “Let’s follow her.”
The committee boat was a handsome sailing packet, and as she moved out to where the start was to be made she presented a fine picture. The Vagabond, together with fully half the craft in the harbor, followed at her heels. She took up her position close to the black spar buoy at the harbor entrance, and one by one the contestants chugged up to her and clamored for their ratings. As there had been delay in figuring the handicaps and time allowances, it was announced that the start would be postponed until half-past six. But the time didn’t drag. The entries for the race were all together for the first time, and the audience afloat and ashore examined them with interest and compared them, and predicted victory for first one and then another. The twelve boats varied in length from forty feet, the measurement of the Sizz and the Gnome, down to thirty-one, which was the length of the Shoonah. But the greatest difference was in horse-power. The Gnome and the Amy were rated at thirty, while the little Sue had but nine. As a result, the Sue had a handicap allowance of about thirteen hours over the Gnome, which was scratch boat. One by one the boats got their directions, handicaps, and paid their measurement fees, and stood away to await the starting signal.
“Let’s follow them a bit,” suggested Tom. “It would be great sport, wouldn’t it?”
“Great!” cried Dan. “Let’s do it, Nel! What do you say?”
“I’m game if you are,” was the answer. “You want to remember, though, Tommy, that we’ll be late to dinner.”
“Oh, you run away and play! To hear you fellows talk, you’d think nobody ate anything but me. I’d just like to know who got away with the most of the lunch—and I’m not looking at Bob, either!”
“‘Not you, kittie, nor me, kittie, but one of us,’” murmured Nelson.