Still the Zephyr pulled that same steady stroke. As yet she had made no extraordinary exertion. 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 b.u.t.terfly 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 grumbling among his crew. An expression of deep anxiety had begun to supplant the look of hope and confidence they had worn, and some of them were provoked to a doubt whether Frank, in the generosity 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 impatience.
"Silence! Not a word!" said the self-possessed c.o.xswain.
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 circ.u.mstances.
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 compet.i.tor, which had lost this distance by the exhaustion of her crew.
They had pulled three miles with the expenditure 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 b.u.t.terfly 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 numb, a smile of triumph rested on their faces.
"Now for the tug of war," said Frank, in a low, subdued 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 spoke 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 sh.o.r.e 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 steadily 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 b.u.t.terflies were "used up," incapable 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 b.u.t.terfly.
"Cease--rowing!" said he. "Ready--up!"
The b.u.t.terfly came in scarcely an instant behind, and her oars were poised in air, like those of her rival.
A long and animating shout rang along the sh.o.r.e, when the result of the race was apparent, and the band struck up "See the conquering hero comes."
CHAPTER IX.
LITTLE PAUL.
"You have won the race, Frank, and I congratulate you," said Tony Weston, as the b.u.t.terfly came alongside the Zephyr.
"Thank you, Tony; that is n.o.ble and generous," replied Frank.
"But it is the feeling in our club--isn"t it, fellows?"
"Ay, ay, that it is!" shouted Little Paul. "Let us give them three cheers, to show the folks on sh.o.r.e that there are no hard feelings."
The cheers were given l.u.s.tily--at least, as l.u.s.tily as the exhausted condition of the b.u.t.terflies would permit. Each member of the defeated club seemed to feel it his duty to banish even the semblance of envy; and it was pleasant to observe how admirably they succeeded.
I do not wish my young readers to suppose that Tony"s crew felt no disappointment at the result; only that there were no hard feelings, no petty jealousy. They had confidently expected to win the race, even up to the last quarter of a mile of the course; and to have that hope suddenly dashed down, to be beaten when they felt sure of being the victors, was regarded as no trivial misfortune. But so thoroughly had Tony schooled them in the necessity of keeping down any ill will, that I am sure there was not a hard feeling in the club. Perhaps they displayed more disinterestedness in their conduct after the race than they really felt. If they did, it was no great harm, for their motives were good, and they were all struggling to feel what their words and their actions expressed.
"Zephyr, ahoy!" hailed Mr. Hyde, from the Sylph.
"Ay, ay, sir!"
"The prize is ready for the winner."
The oars were dropped into the water again, and the Zephyr pulled up to the judges" boat.
"You have won the prize handsomely, Frank, and it affords me great pleasure to present it to you," said Mr. Hyde, as he handed him a purse containing the prize. "After the n.o.ble expressions of kindness on the part of your rival, I am sure the award will awaken no feeling of exultation in the minds of the Zephyrs, and none of envy in the b.u.t.terflies. I congratulate you on your victory."
Frank bowed, and thanked the schoolmaster for his hopeful words; and the b.u.t.terflies gave three cheers again as he took the prize. The Zephyr was then brought alongside her late rival.
"Starboard oars--up!" said Frank.
"Larboard oars--up!" added Tony.
"What now, I wonder?" queried Fred Harper.
"Forward oarsman, step aboard the b.u.t.terfly," continued Frank.
"Forward oarsman, step aboard the Zephyr," said Tony.
Then the next member in each boat was pa.s.sed over to the other, and so on, till the whole starboard side of the Zephyr was manned by b.u.t.terflies, and the larboard side of the b.u.t.terfly by Zephyrs.
"Ready--up!" said the c.o.xswains, as they proceeded to get under way again.
Thus, with the two clubs fraternally mingled, they slowly pulled towards the nearest sh.o.r.e, while the band played its sweetest strains. The spectators still lingered; and as the boats neared the land, they were greeted with repeated cheers. Then, side by side, they pulled slowly along the sh.o.r.e, within a few rods of the lake"s bank, till they reach the b.u.t.terflies" house, where they all landed.
And thus ended the famous boat race, over which the boys had been thinking by day and dreaming by night for several weeks. The occasion had pa.s.sed; and if it was productive of any evil effects in the minds of those who engaged in it, they were more than balanced by the excellent discipline it afforded. They had learned to look without envy upon those whom superior skill or good fortune had favored, and to feel kindly towards those over whom they had won a victory. It was a lesson which they would all need in the great world, where many a race is run, and where the conqueror is not always gentle towards the conquered--where defeat generates ill-will, envy, and hatred.
"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another," said Jesus--not only love one another when the sky is clear, and the waters are smooth, but when the clouds threaten, and the stormy sea lashes with its fury; not only when the arm of friendship and kindness holds us up, but when all hearts seem cold, when all hands are closed, and all faces frown upon us. It was this divine command that the circ.u.mstances of the boat race tended to exemplify; and I am sure that both the conquerors and the conquered were better prepared for the duty of life than if they had had no such experience.
I do not mean to say that every boat race is a good thing, most especially when it is made to be a gambling speculation by staking money on the result--only that this one was, because those who conducted it made it subservient to the moral progress of the boys.
"Well, Frank, I am glad you won the race," said Tony, with a smile which testified to his sincerity. "Fortune favored us at the bridge, and gave us the opportunity of winning the honors."
"And the profits too, Tony. Fifty dollars is nothing to us now," added Fred, with a laugh.