Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-07-25

voice of the commodore, which comes over
the water long halloo,-" Back Olympin,-
come up a little, Ne1ed! Steady all! are you
ready? :" The oars fly back and hang culver
ing over the water ready for the first plunge.
Ready to gre pay! GIVE WAY ALP Be
fore the words are out Of his mouth, the boats
leap forward in a cloud of spray, and now are
splashing along, side by side, the coXswains
shouting at the top of their lungs Imagine
ourselves in one of them. The third or fourth
stroke takes away all nervousness, and a
vague impression that hard work is before us,
begins to creep over the mind. At the same
time the boats are separating, one drawing
slightly ahead, another taking ali inside course,
a third aiming for the outside, and ours dart
ing along in the middle. "Hard no0! They're
gaining! Go IN, Joysi Go IN, Joys,--go in,
THAT'S the kind,-noD ,ce're up Wih them.
Steady SO,-hdrdP Here we are now, the two
rival boats are falling behind. We shoot by
sail-boat filled with lades,-a cloud OF red,
blue and green with waving handkerchiefs
They cheer us on, don't turn your head, pull
as for dear life. We pass Long Wharf, the
club boats are there loaded down to the wa
ter's edge with ladies'. Amid deatening
storm of cheers, Goo 1t, Nfeid! 90 Il Put
in, boys! The Nereid's got you" we ash
past them, and soon they are far astern, and
we are out on the harbor, jumping along on
the waves (which are curling up longer and
larger as we go on down the harbor, now
burying our bows deep, now sweeping past us
with a Kissing crest of foam. Here the other
boat gains u.s. and, as we approach the stake
boat, we are in their wake. "NeUer mind, boys,
,ceW hare them get. IHae,-heyre turning!
No0 catch them % We struggle hard every
muscle quivers, and the blue veins swell,-but
the boat drags, it won't move, and by the
time we have reached the stake boat, they
spring from it on the home stretch like star.
tied pike. Savagely we turn, the starboard
backing water as if they were trying to bail
out the harber. Our coXswan understands
his business. He keeps quiet till the boat is
fairly round, and then leaning forward, says,
in low, every day tone of voice, ''Now,
boys, just want TO ask you question Do
you intend to let those fellows beat you SO
easily after all three weeks work Remem-
Der you've only few minutes more to pull
and the questions settled" A grunt from the
stroke oarsman is tine only response, but the
boat seems electrified. Every stroke sends it
along like lightning. 1t closes and closes, and
closes up the gap. 1t darts ahead faster and
faster. Now hear the coxswain, still in that
same undertone; "Ah, boys, now she steps
along! That's the style Keep that up five
minutes, and you'll lose sight OF them astern!"
Suddenly wild cry from the whole crew an
nounces that we are tapping on them. In
stantly both coXswains begin to shout "Noec
you hare them, boys! Go n,--Say gou auiU
Hard !-stroke! 10 IN, nor! JuHp her aiong
No,0 she gains Noto she gains p' Fiercely
we tug at the oars which dip and rise on the
instant We are right alongside OF the other
boat, oar almost touching oar, and both going
like the wind. We are nearing Long Wharf
again. Cheer after cheer rises from the boats
and vessels crowded with people, who. mad
with excitement, hug each other, throw up
their hats knowing they will come down into
the water, yell and scream like savages as we
glide past both crews strainng themselves to
the utmost. Now they are gaining now we +;
there is not ten feet between the bows. What
was that? 1t was a schooner from Fairhaven,
dc cked with flags, crowded with ladies, and
a brass band playing on deck. They fred
cannon as we passed by, but you did not no.
tlce 1t. We are nearing the shore. Our arms
are numb, blood boils and scethes in the
brain, salt perspiration streams down our faces
and blinds us, yet still he urges on, still he has
no mercy. "OnLy little farther Don't qive
up! jerk her right along! jerk her nosO nor,
-no'c, -now,- tlcemy strokes more! Walk
her along, boys! :" Now we begin to hear the
people on shore cheer us as we are coming in.
Shout upon shout rises and rolls along the
0hOlc, IN, SMeleu ny thousand lungs, 1t
reaches us, bringing new life and quckening
the speed Of both boats. The other boats
are way behind the race lies between us two.
and close together, like two race horses, we
are dashing in toward shore. The shouting
comes nearer and louder; we can hear them
call out the names of the boats as they urge
us on by their cries; we must be very near
Suddenly the coxswains calls out, "Notc then
gre us your last squirt p 1t seems impossible
we are almost tainting, yet it must be done
indeed, we have been expecting the order, and
before the sentence is finished, one vigorous
stroke starts the boats almost out of the wa
ter; '0e leap ahead. Foot by foot we are pass
ing them. They work wildly, but we are do.
ing it, we are beating "Oh, don't flag! 60
an! 10 mr. The crowd on shoes is wild.
Bring her IN ahead! We've got them !! Jerk her
no'o! Only t1co strokes more AvAsr p We've
beaten them by half second, Put your head
in the water.