EXCITEMENT was running high at the South Shore. The rivalry in all sports was keen between the North Shore and the South; but never before had so much interest developed as was being manifested in the present contest for the Commodore's cup. Three years before, the South Shore had organized a yacht-club. After building a beautiful club-house, the pier, and the boat-house, it had surveyed and marked a course upon the lake, and held its first annual regatta, open to all. The South Shore boats won everything that year and the next, and their owners settled down to a feeling of complacency, which was rudely shocked by the appearance of the Bounder, a North Shore scow, and her reckless and not oversportsmanlike crew, who proceeded to antagonize everybody and carry off the next year's cups. The North Shore exulted, while the South Shore vowed vengeance. But this was in the heat of the season; winter cooled things off. Of those who had agreed in August that a defender must be built, each had concluded by Christmas that the others would do it. The result, not uncommon in such cases, was that when the Regatta Committee checked up boats the following season, no new racer was found among them. Of course the golf- and tennis-players laughed, and told what they would have done, which did not improve matters. The watermen were dejected. And then the Dorseys arrived. Billy Dorsey was seventeen years of age, and had three brothers: Jack, who was fifteen, and Andy and Jimmy, thirteen and eleven respectively. They had all taken to the water from infancy, and had sailed the Jimcrack the last season in such a manner as Copyright, 1912, by THE CENTURY Co. All rights reserved. to gain the admiration of everybody, and the personal commendation of the Fleet Captain in particular. Skilful seamanship had marked Billy as a coming man. Two days after arriving, Billy hunted up the Fleet Captain, and entered the Eskimo for the regatta. "Where is she?" inquired the Captain in some surprise. "Up behind the point. We sailed her over from Cherry Station after dark last night," replied Billy. "You did? What 's she like?" "Come and see her," said Billy. "Where did you get her?" "Jack and I built her last winter from plans in one of the yachting magazines." When the Captain saw her, he became intensely interested. "She has a steel centerboard," Billy explained, "and a baby jib, which will give an advantage in heavy weather; and her lines are better than the Bounder's. What do you think of her?" And, in spite of his own confidence in the new craft, Billy waited for the verdict with a beating heart, while the Captain looked her over carefully. "You boys are wonders!" he finally exclaimed. "I believe you will win if you sail her right. There's one thing sure, anyway; you 've done something, and that 's more than can be said of the rest of us!" The South Shore suddenly awoke. The Eskimo "tried out" in all kinds of weather to everybody's "You don't say so! What do you expect to do satisfaction. Yachting affairs took on a new with her?" asked the Captain, smiling. "Beat the Bounder," answered Billy, promptly. "What!" exclaimed the Captain, astonished. aspect. The first race of the regatta was sailed in all the wind the boats could stand up under without brought her across the finish-line well ahead of her rival. The latter went home without coming to the pier. Of course a reception was held at the clubhouse that evening, and a vote of appreciation of the "Eskimos" recorded, "for saving the honor of the South Shore." The Dorsey boys were in danger of being spoiled. The next race was not a happy one. The wind was light and changing-regular fresh-water trickery. At three of the buoys, the Bounder deliberately crowded the Eskimo out of the position to which she was entitled, and then, on the last leg, gained an advantage of the wind that brought her to the finish nearly a minute ahead of the Eskimo. Again she disappeared up the lake, and again there was a gathering at the clubhouse-this time an indignation meeting to urge the Eskimo to protest the Bounder for violation of the rules. The "Eskimos," meantime, were closeted with the Captain. They adored the Captain, who always arose above petty considerations and looked at things in a manly fashion. They told him the whole story and asked his advice. "What do you think about it, boys?" the Captain inquired. "Well," said Billy, "we have made up our minds that you would not protest if you were in our place. We would rather try to win the cup by taking the next race, without any fuss." The Captain nodded and jumped to his feet. "Boys, shake hands!" he said. "I am proud of you! There is something a lot better than winning cups, and I guess you 've got it. Come with me, and I'll tell the crowd what I think of you." He did; and when he got through the crowd cheered, and the "Eskimos" went home happier than if they had won the race. The morning upon which the third race was scheduled to be sailed dawned with the wind blowing hard from the northwest. Soon after the Bounder arrived from the North Shore, the wind increased to half a gale. Before ten o'clock, the skippers were called together to consider postponing the race. Just at this moment, Jimmy Dorsey came running up the pier, and said something to the Captain, who at once turned to the group of skippers. "Look here, fellows," he said, "it seems to me that this race ought to be postponed, anyway. Somebody stole the peak-halyards from the Eskimo last night. Billy and Jack have gone down to Quimby's for new rope, but are not back yet. They can't possibly get back now by gun-fire. It's the most amazing thing I ever heard of." . There was an immediate outburst of indignation. Questions were hurled at Jimmy too fast to be answered. About all he knew was that the halyards had been cut close to the gaff, and had disappeared. "Well, boys, what do you say?" said the Captain. "What do you say, Jennings?" asked the Captain. Jennings slowly answered: "The rules don't allow any excuses for not being ready at gun-fire. I am here, ready to race, and am going to sail the course whether any of the rest of you do or not. For all I know, those kids cut that rope off themselves, because they are afraid to sail in this wind. I-" Jennings suddenly stopped. The Captain, his eyes blazing and hands clenching, was confronting him. "Cut that out, Sid Jennings!" he exploded. "You have a right to stand on the rules; but you are not going to express any more opinions like that about those youngsters. If they had not wanted to beat you, fair and square, with no bad feelings about it, they could have protested you yesterday; and you know it, too!" "It is too late for them to do it now," said Jennings, looking up from his whittling with a sneer. "You have n't much to lose if you do," retorted Jennings, maliciously. The Captain's jaw set and his eyes narrowed. "No," he said cuttingly, "I could n't win the cup; but if I had a chance to win it, and should do it under the present circumstances, I should lose my self-respect"; and he started toward the club-house. No Three hours later, after a valiant struggle against wind and waves, the Bounder had crossed the finish-line, and was heading for home. other boat had raised a sail. All but the Captain and one of the judges had gone to dinner. The two who remained stood upon the yachtclub piazza, watching the Bounder. She was struggling to windward, handicapped by a jib that was too large to balance properly the closely reefed mainsail. "Whatever we may think of Jennings as a sport," said the judge, "we have to admit that he is fearless in the wind, and a good skipper." "Yes," replied the Captain, "it is too bad that he lacks- Good heavens, look at that! He is over- No! Yes, he is, too!" and he hastily trained his glass upon the Bounder. A great gust, heavier than ordinary, had struck her, heeling her over until her sails nearly lay in the water; partly recovering, she had been struck again, and apparently had capsized. ON board the rescuing sloop, there was quick action as she cleared the sheltering point. With a slap, the first heavy gust from the open lake made effort to capsize her without more ado. In spite of her shortened canvas, she heeled wickedly, staggering beneath the weight of the blow. little crew, in their yellow oilskins, leaned far out to windward, while Skipper Billy, nothing Her After looking a moment through the glass, the daunted, pushed down the tiller and righted her, Captain exclaimed: "She has carried away her mast, and the waves are breaking over her! She will go ashore on the rocks at the head of the island! We must get them off before she hits!" and he ran to the telephone. Calling for help from the hotel, he rushed back to the judge. with a tremendous thump, on top of a rushing wave which sent a sheet of spray glancing from the backs of the oilskins directly into his face. "Harden in the sheets!" he cried, dashing the water from his eyes. "Look out, Jimmy!" he loudly warned, when the little fellow began to pull upon the jib-sheet just as a curling roller "Come with me," he shouted, "and help reef the bore down upon them. Billy skilfully met it, and Dolly!" But the Dolly was not to be needed. Before they had finished reefing, a cry from the shore drew their attention to a crowd from the hotel then stood off, close-hauled, in the direction of the Bounder. Pitching, plunging, and pounding as only a scow can pound, the little sloop fought her way courageously and steadily to windward. |