The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1897-01-22

Frost Giant got little better start
than we did, and the owner of the Mist
Maiden looked somewhat concerned.
But our pilot was no novice, as he soon
proved to our satisfaction. The Frost
Giant, now a little ahead, put her helm
bow, making for the opposite side of
the lake, where the wind was strong
est Our pilot had evidently been
waiting for this, because the Mist Maid
en- clipped across the wake OF her rival,
and made straight for the point mark
ing the turn in the lake, shortening
the course two hundred yards at a
slight sacrifice of wind This maneu-
yer put the two boats again abreast,
and after rounding the point they
closed in on each other. We were now
dashing along at magnificent speed,
with the driving wind over our quar-
ter. The girls sat in the box as quiet
as mice, their eyes cleaning with ex-
element. For a mile or two the Mist
Maiden and the Frost Giant drove
along, almost abreast, and with scarce
ly twenty feet of ice between them.
The crews hardly exchanged a word,
and the silence was broken only by the
whirring runners and the steady swish
of their sharp iron heels.
Now the Frost Giants larger spread
of canvas began to tell on her speed,
and she drew slowly away from us. Our
fair mascots' faces were picture when
the Giant soon showed us a clean pair
of heels, and we all felt little dubious
all except, perhaps, our imperturba-
bic skipper. 1t hardly seemed possible
for any boat 10 improve on our terrific
speed and hold together, yet the Frost
Giant was certainly doing it, But soon
| the eyes of even our calm helmsman
began to sparkle a little, and though
the tiller shook and trembled in his
hands from the rapid pounding of the
runner beneath, he held the Mist Maid
en- straight to her course.
Both boats skirted the first and Sec
ond fields of set-lines on the same side,
and we were compelled to drop in our
rivals wake. The first and second big
cracks both boats crossed, close to the
shoreline, on the same side, the Mist
Maiden still following the Frost Giant.
To gain on her, then, swerve from the
course and pass her, seemed quite hope
less. Though the little Maiden pound
ed along at a speed that would have
taken our breath had it not been with
the wind, the memorable Giant con-
tinued to draw away from us. Now we
rapidly neared the field of set-lines be-
yond which lay the last big crack-one
mile from the dam, and the Mist Maid
en- in the rear fully forty yards. The
Frost Giant veered sharply TO the left
to make long angle for the passage
over the crack, shortening the run and
clearing the set-lines. The Mist Maid
en- shot straight ahead. The lookout
turned around in frenzy and shouted,
"Set-lines! Swing her to port, quick.
You can't make the crack on the
rightr
But the skipper never a word said
he" What was the matter with him
We looked upon the race as lost. A
cry of derision went up from the Frost
| Oldul. IL was lOO ldlS HOW, uiuSI bhS
fearful speed, to make a sharp turn to
the left; to the right was no better
and the set-lines were almost under us
The only thing to do was to throw her
up in the wind, at the risk of tearing
off the runners. But still we sped
straight ahead. The lookout danced in
excitement; the girls cheeks were pale
the rest of us were dumbfounded and
helpless, and ingulfment in the crack
now hardly hundred feet away, stared
us in the face. Snap! snap! and two
set-lines were gone to Davy Jones's
locker.
"Set-lines! Set-linesw again hoarse-
ly screamed the lookout.
"Set-lines be -" II he finished
the sentence the wild wind charitably
waited away the rest of the doughty
helmsman's words across the ice, where
there were no gentle ears to hear. The
lookout wheeled around in despair
now thoroughly frightened, and cried
"Heave her to! Heave her to, for God'I
sakep
But on we went. Snap! snap! wen