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 wagon-load as the swift flight of the boats made them diminish in size every few seconds.

"No," said Miss Beauchamp, with her head full of Philip and of his satisfaction if there should be any bettering of the Ossokosees' record; "but those strong-armed fellows in the Victors' boat are holding off, Mr. Wooden. Don't you see that? They're going to give a tremendous spurt after that stake-boat is turned."

By this time the road that ran parallel with the course was in a whirl of wheels. Dozens of carriages dashed up after the boats, to lose no yard of the contest. The Ossokosees were, in fact, a little in advance of the Victors. But, as Miss Beauchamp had supposed, that was evidently the policy of the older champions. They darted along well to the left of their rivals and kept carefully outside of a certain long strip of eel-grass where a danger-signal had been driven, and with their rapid pulling they were already beginning to lessen the number of boat-lengths between them and their opponents. Every body having taken it for granted that the excitement of this race was not who should beat, but how honorably the hotel