Page:Stanwood Pier--Crashaw brothers.djvu/233

Rh shrilly. “They’re still lapping us! It’s a great race, fellows; clinch her right here! Stroke—stroke—stro— Hi! Hi! We’re leaving ’em—they’re not lapping us any  more—four’s splashing—and stroke—look  at stroke!—No, don’t look at him, keep on  rowing, keep on. Keep—”

“What’s the matter?” Durant and Edward jerked the question out in the same breath, and in that instant there was a sudden outburst from St. Timothy’s compared to  which all the cheers heretofore had been but  as melancholy ululation.

“He’s groggy!” shrieked Gardner through the megaphone. “Their stroke’s groggy! He was splashing—their coxswain’s throwing  water on him—he’s slumped on his oar—no, he ’s sitting up again—yes, he’s quit—he’s quit—look, they’ve all quit! We’ve rowed ’em down, we’ve rowed ’em down— Hi-i-i-i!”

There was no keeping eyes in the boat then, least of all for Edward. Amid the wild, delighted shouts from the St. Timothy’s shore,