“Suppose we try a race?” suggested Fred Harper.

“There will be no harm in it, I suppose,” replied Frank, glancing at the Butterfly.

“Zephyr, ahoy!” shouted Tony.  “We will pull up together, if you like.”

“Agreed.”

The two boats were then drawn up alongside of each other, ready to start when the word should be given.

“Say when you are ready,” shouted Tony.

The rowers in each boat were all ready to take the first stroke.

“Ready—­pull!” said Frank; and the crews bent to the work.

“Now give it to ’em!” shouted Tim Bunker, as he struck out with his oar.

“Steady, Tim,” said Frank.  “Be very careful, or you will lose the stroke.”

“No, I won’t.  Put ’em through by daylight!” And Tim, without paying much attention to the swaying of the coxswain’s body, by which his stroke should have been regulated, redoubled his exertions.  He was very much excited, and the next moment the handle of his oar hit the boy in front of him in the back.  Then the boy behind hit him, and a scene of confusion immediately ensued.  Of course no boy could pull his stroke except in unison with the others; so the whole were compelled to cease rowing.

“We have lost it,” said Frank, good-naturedly.

The boys, seeing how useless it was to attempt to row in the midst of such confusion, were obliged to wait till order had been restored.

“No, we hain’t; pull away!” replied Tim, as He seized his oar, and began to row with all his might.

“Cease rowing!” said Frank.

“Catch your oars, you sleepies, or they will get in first!” exclaimed Tim, who continued to struggle with his oar in defiance of the order.

He had already pulled the boat half round.

“I guess the fifty dollars won’t come to this crew,” added Tim, contemptuously.

“It certainly will not, if you don’t obey orders better than that,” replied Frank.

“I don’t want to have the club beat so easy as that.”

“But it is all your fault, Tim.”

“You lie!”

“What! what!” exclaimed Frank.  “We cannot have such language as that.  If you don’t conform to the constitution you have signed, you shall be put on shore at the nearest land.”

“Well, I ain’t a going to have it laid to me, when I hain’t done nothing.  Didn’t I pull with all my might and main? and if the other fellers had done so too, we should have been ahead of ’em afore this time,” answered Tim, somewhat tamed by the threat of the coxswain.

“We will not talk about that until you say whether you intend to conform to the rules of the club, or not,” added Frank, firmly.

“Of course I do.”

Tim was still gruff in his tones; but it was evident that he wanted to conform to the rules, and that his obstinacy was still struggling for expression.

“You must not tell the coxswain, or any other member, that he lies, Tim,” continued Frank.