"Say, what's the matter with this place, anyhow?" suddenly asked Andy. "Is it hoodooed?"
"Give it up," answered Frank. "Come on, I see a boathouse. Maybe it isn't so bad after all. We can join the crew."
Their hearts fell at the sight of the boathouse. The roof needed shingling, and the structure would have been much improved by a coat of paint. Then, as they moved around to the other side of it they saw a big hole in the roof.
"Say, that will leak like a sieve," remarked Andy.
"Yes, and I don't see any boats," added Frank gloomily.
The two boys strolled down to the water's edge.
"Here are some barges," called Frank. "But great Scott! Look at 'em! It would be as much as your life was worth to go out in 'em. They'd sink in ten minutes. Oh, this is fierce!"
Despondently, and more and more impressed with the desolation of the place, the Racer boys walked on toward the main group of school buildings.
"There's a fine diamond—if it was put in shape," said Frank, motioning toward the ball field.
"Yes, but look at it!" exclaimed his brother. "It's all overgrown with grass, and you can't tell third base from home plate. It hasn't been used at all lately. What's the matter with the fellows here, I wonder?"