They were off! Both boys caught the water at the same instant. Each pulled a long but quick stroke. Ten yards were covered, and they remained side by side.
Like two clocks, so far as regularity went, the two contestants bent their backs and pulled with might and main.
One thing was certain, unless something happened, it would be a close race.
But now the Lakeview boys were getting wild.
“Jerry is five feet and more in the lead!”
It was true. Slowly but surely our hero was forging ahead. Should he be able to keep this up he would cross Si Peters’ course at the turning point.
But now Wash Crosby showed his hand. Without so much as a toot of the whistle, his steam launch kept drawing closer and closer to Jerry’s side.
Then it gradually went ahead, until Jerry was caught in the swash of the tiny waves it produced.
Under ordinary circumstances these waves would not have been noticed, but in a shell, and especially during a race, even such apparent trifles count heavily.
“Mind your business!” shouted Wash Crosby in return, but so lowly that no one but Jerry could hear him. “This is Si Peters’ race!”
Jerry saw at once that he had been right in imagining that this was the plot against him. Wash Crosby intended to keep just close enough to cause him trouble without actually fouling him.
Already the swash from the steam launch was telling on Jerry’s lead. Si Peters kept up at his best and soon was once more abreast of our hero.
“That steam launch is too close to Jerry Upton.”
“Nonsense! Don’t croak because you are going to lose the race,” shouted Browling.
But now something happened that Wash Crosby had not calculated upon.
Straight from across the lake came the naptha launch belonging to Harry Parker’s uncle. In the bow stood Harry, boathook in hand.
When the launch was within three yards of the Crosby craft she came to a halt. Wash Crosby was so interested in watching the race that he did not notice what was going on.
Harry threw the boathook and it caught fast in the steam launch’s stern. Then the naptha launch was moved back, and away she went, carrying the steam launch with her.
She could do this because Crosby did not have on a full head of steam.
Astonished at the turn of affairs, Wash Crosby looked around to see what was the matter.