“Hardly. He’s only a little older than I am. The sloop is named the _Ajax_, and Century claims she is the swiftest thing that was ever launched here.”
“She certainly looks as if she could make time,” was Dale Blackmore’s critical comment, as he gazed at the approaching craft, with her snowy spread of sails. “I don’t think she is quite as wide as the _Alice_.”
“She is every bit as long,” came from Paul Singleton. “And her sails are every bit as big.”
“Sloop ahoy!” came a hail from the approaching craft.
“We thought it might be,” went on Fred Century, as he came closer. “This is the new boat from Pornell Academy.”
“Yes, we know that,” answered Jack. “Fine-looking sloop, too,” he added.
“Do you want to race?” asked another youth aboard the _Ajax_.
“Well, we didn’t come out to race,” answered the young owner of the _Alice_. “We just came out for a quiet sail. We’ve got to be back to the Hall by six o’clock.”
“Oh, they are afraid to race you, Fred,” said another boy aboard the _Ajax_. “They know you can beat them out of their boots.”
“Let us race them, Jack,” whispered Pepper.
“No use of racing if the _Alice_ isn’t in proper condition,” interrupted Dale.
“Oh, she’s all right—but I like to go over everything before a race,” said Jack, a bit doubtfully. “Some of the blocks work rather stiffly, and I haven’t quite got the swing of this tiller yet.”
“Want to race or not?” cried a third boy aboard the _Ajax_.
“Of course, if you are afraid of being beaten——” began Fred Century.
“Did you come out just for the purpose of racing?” demanded Jack.
“Why, hardly,” said the owner of the _Ajax_. “We just saw you, and thought you’d like a little brush, that’s all.”
“Very well, what do you say to Cat Point and from there to Borden’s Cove? The first sloop to reach the white rock at the cove is to be the winner.”
“We’ll beat you by half a mile!” sang out one of the boys aboard the Pornell boat, a lad named Will Carey.
“Better do your blowing after the race is over,” answered Pepper.
“Oh, we’ll beat you all right enough,” said the owner of the Pornell boat. “This sloop of mine is going to be the queen of this lake, and don’t you forget it.”
A few words more were spoken—as to how the boats should round Cat Point—and then the race was started. There was a favorable breeze, and each craft let out its mainsail to the fullest and likewise the topsail and the jib.