"All aboard!" said Frank, as he dissolved a meeting of the Zephyrs5, which he had called in order to impart whatever hints he had been able to obtain from his father and others in regard to their conduct.
Above all, he had counseled them, in case they were beaten, to cherish no hard feelings towards their rivals. Not a shadow of envy or ill-will was to obscure the harmony of the occasion. And if they were so fortunate as to win the race they were to wear their honors with humility6; and most especially, they were not to utter a word which could create a hard feeling in the minds of their competitors. Whatever the result, there was to be the same kindness in the heart, and the same gentlemanly deportment in the manners, which had thus far characterized the intercourse7 of the two clubs.
"All aboard!"
The Zephyrs were more quiet and dignified8 in their deportment than usual. There was no loud talk, no jesting; even Fred Harper looked thoughtful and serious. Each member seemed to feel the responsibility of winning the race resting like a heavy burden upon his shoulders.
The boat was hauled out into the lake, and once more Frank cautioned them to keep cool and obey orders.
"Don't look at the Butterfly after we get started," said he. "You must permit me to keep watch of her. Keep both eyes on me, and think only of having your stroke perfectly9 accurate, perfectly in time with the others. Now, remember, don't look at the Butterfly; if you do, we shall lose the race. It would distract your attention and add to your excitement. If she gets two or three lengths ahead of us, as I think she will on the first mile, don't mind it. Pull your best, and leave the rest with me."
"Ay, ay!" replied several, quietly.
"Do you think we shall win, Frank?" asked Charles, who had put the same question a dozen times before.
"We must think that we shall," replied Frank, with a smile. "Here comes the Butterfly. Now, give her three cheers. One!"
"Hurrah10!"
"Two!"
"Hurrah!"
"Three!"
"Hurrah!"
This compliment was promptly11 returned by the Butterfly, as she came alongside the Zephyr.
"Quarter of three, Frank," said Tony.
"Time we were moving then," replied Frank, as he ordered the oars12 out, and the boats started for the spot where the Sylph, the judges' boat, had taken position.
They pulled with a very slow stroke, and not only did the respective crews keep the most exact time, but each timed its stroke with the other. It was exhibition day with them, and they were not only to run the race, but to show off their skill to the best advantage. Hundreds of people, their fathers and their mothers, their sisters and their brothers, were observing them from the shore, and this fact inspired them to work with unusual care.
It was a very beautiful sight, those richly ornamented13 boats, their gay colors flashing in the bright sunshine, with their neatly14 uniformed crews, their silken flags floating to the breeze, and their light, graceful15 oars dipping with mechanical precision in the limpid16 waters. As they glided17 gently over the rippling18 waves, like phantoms19, to the middle of the lake, a long and deafening20 shout from the shore saluted22 their ears. The white handkerchiefs of the ladies waved them a cheerful greeting, and the Rippleton Brass23 Band, which had volunteered for the occasion, struck up Hail Columbia.
"Cease—rowing!" said Frank, as he rose in his seat.
Tony followed his example, though this movement had not been laid down in the program.
Frank then took the American flag which floated at the stern, and Tony did the same.
"All up!" said he. "Let us give them three cheers."
"Mind the coxswain of the Zephyr," added Tony, "and let them be all together and with a will."
"Hats off, and swing them as you cheer."
The cheers were given with all the vigor24 which stout25 lungs could impart, and the flags waved and the hats swung.
The salute21 was reiterated26 from the shore, and above the martial27 strains of the band rose the deafening hurrahs.
"Ready—pull!" and the boats resumed their slow and measured stroke, and the band changed the tune28 to the Canadian Boat Song.
When they reached the judges' boat, the two coxswains drew lots for the choice of "position," and the Butterfly obtained this advantage. The two boats then took their places, side by side, about two rods apart, ready to commence the race.
"Tony," said Frank, rising, "before we start I have a word to say. Whatever may be the result of the race, for myself and my crew, I pledge you there shall be no hard feeling among the Zephyrs."
"No, no, no!" added the club, earnestly.
"If you beat, it shall not impair29 our friendship; there shall be no envy, no ill-will. Do you all say so, Zephyrs?"
"Ay, ay!"
The Butterflies clapped their hands vigorously, in token of their approbation30 of the pledge, and Tony promised the same thing for his club.
"Now we are ready," added Frank. "Keep perfectly cool, and mind all I have said. Ready!"
Uncle Ben stood in the bow of the Sylph, with a burning slow match in his hand, ready to discharge the cannon31 which was to be the signal for starting. It was a moment of intense excitement, not only to the crews of the boats, but to hundreds of spectators on the shore.
It was undeniably true that the Zephyrs, in spite of the warnings which Frank had given them, were very much excited, and various were the expedients32 which the boys used to calm their agitation33, or at least to conceal34 it. But it was also true that the Butterflies were much more excited. Discipline and experience had not schooled them in the art of "being mere35 machines," and they found it much more difficult than the Zephyrs to subdue36 their troublesome emotions.
The eventful moment had come. The oarsmen were bent37 forward ready to strike the first stroke, and the coxswains were leaning back ready to time the movement. Captain Sedley was gazing intently at the dial of his "second indicator," prepared to give Uncle Ben the word to fire.
"Ready, Ben—fire!"
Bang! went the cannon.
"Pull!" shouted Frank and Tony in the same breath.
Fortunately every oarsman in both boats hit the stroke exactly, and away leaped the gallant38 barks.
As Frank had deemed it probable, the Butterfly shot a length ahead of her rival after pulling a few strokes; but though the noise of the oars informed his crew of their relative positions, not an eye was turned from him, not a muscle yielded in the face of the dispiriting fact, and not a member quickened his stroke in order to retrieve39 the lost ground. Even Tim Bunker, who was supposed to have more feeling in regard to the race than the others, maintained an admirable self-possession. However much the hearts of the crew beat with agitation, they were outwardly as cool as though the Butterfly had been a mile behind them.
It is true, some of the Zephyrs, as they continued to gaze at Frank's calm and immovable features, wondered that he did not quicken the stroke; but no one for an instant lost confidence in him. "Frank knew what he was about." This was the sentiment that prevailed, and each member looked out for himself, leaving all the rest to him.
The Butterflies were quickening their stroke every moment, and consequently were continuing to increase the distance between the two boats. Every muscle was strained to its utmost tension. Every particle of strength was laid out, until Tony, fearful that some of the weaker ones might "make a slip," dared require no more of them. But they were already more than two boats' lengths ahead of their rival, and he had everything to hope.
Still the Zephyr pulled that same steady stroke. As yet she had made no extraordinary exertion40. Her crew were still fresh and vigorous, while those of her rival, though she was every moment gaining upon her, were taxing their strength to the utmost.
They rounded the stake boat, which had been placed nearly opposite the mouth of the Rippleton River, and the Butterfly was still three lengths ahead. They had begun upon the last two miles of the race. Though the Zephyr still pursued her former tactics, her rival was no longer able to gain upon her. The latter had thus far done her best, and for the next half mile the boats maintained the same relative positions.
Frank was still unmoved, and there was some inward grumbling41 among his crew. An expression of deep anxiety had begun to supplant42 the look of hope and confidence they had worn, and some of them were provoked to a doubt whether Frank, in the generosity43 of his nature, was not intending to let Tony bear off the honors.
"Come, Frank, let her have, now!" said Tim, who could no longer restrain his impatience44.
"Silence! Not a word!" said the self-possessed coxswain.
It was in the "order of the day" that no member should speak during the race; and none did, except Tim, and he could easily have been pardoned under the circumstances.
Not yet did Frank quicken the stroke of the Zephyr, though at the end of the next half mile she was only two boats' lengths astern of her competitor, which had lost this distance by the exhaustion45 of her crew. They had pulled three miles with the expenditure46 of all their strength. They lacked the power of endurance, which could only be obtained by long practice. "It is the last pound that breaks the camel's back;" and it was so with them. With a little less exertion they might have preserved some portion of their vigor for the final struggle, which was yet to come.
They had begun upon the last mile. The crew of the Butterfly were as confident of winning the race as though the laurel of victory had already been awarded to them; and though their backs ached and their arms were nearly numb2, a smile of triumph rested on their faces.
"Now for the tug47 of war," said Frank, in a low, subdued48 tone, loud enough to be heard by all his crew, but so gentle as not to create any of that dangerous excitement which is sometimes the ruin of the best laid plans.
As he spoke49 the motions of his body became a little quicker, and gradually increased in rapidity till the stroke was as quick as was consistent with perfect precision. The result of this greater expenditure of power was instantly observed, and at the end of the next quarter of a mile the boats were side by side again.
"They are beating us!" said Tony, in a whisper. "Dip a little deeper—pull strong!"
The exciting moment of the race had come. The spectators on the shore gazed with breathless interest upon the spectacle, unable, though "Zephyr stock was up," to determine the result.
Not a muscle in Frank's face moved, and steadily50 and anxiously his crew watched and followed his movements.
"Steady!" said he, in his low, impressive tone, as he quickened a trifle more the stroke of the crew.
The Butterflies were "used up," incapable51 of making that vigorous effort which might have carried them in ahead of the Zephyr.
"A little deeper," continued Frank. "Now for it!"
As he spoke, with a sudden flash of energy he drove his oarsmen to their utmost speed and strength, and the Zephyr shot by the judges' boat full a length and a half ahead of the Butterfly.
"Cease—rowing!" said he. "Ready—up!"
The Butterfly came in scarcely an instant behind, and her oars were poised52 in air, like those of her rival.
A long and animating53 shout rang along the shore, when the result of the race was apparent, and the band struck up "See the conquering hero comes."
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1
zephyr
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| n.和风，微风 | |
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numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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congregated
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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zephyrs
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| n.和风，微风( zephyr的名词复数 ) | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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7
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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8
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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9
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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10
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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13
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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15
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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16
limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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17
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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18
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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19
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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20
deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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21
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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22
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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23
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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24
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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26
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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28
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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29
impair
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| v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少 | |
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30
approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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31
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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32
expedients
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| n.应急有效的，权宜之计的( expedient的名词复数 ) | |
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33
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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34
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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35
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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39
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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40
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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42
supplant
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| vt.排挤；取代 | |
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43
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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44
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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45
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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46
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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47
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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48
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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49
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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50
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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51
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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52
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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53
animating
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| v.使有生气( animate的现在分词 )；驱动；使栩栩如生地动作；赋予…以生命 | |
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