ll his might, in order to throw the head of the Maud in the right
direction.

"Hoist the jib!" shouted Donald, when he saw that the yacht was sure to
cast on her port tack.

Rodman and Norwood worked lively; and in an instant the jib was up, and
Mr. Norwood had gathered up the lee sheet.

"Let go!" added Donald, when he felt that the Maud was in condition to
go off lively.

She did go off with a bound and a spring. Donald crowded the helm hard
up, so that the Maud wore short around.

"Let off the sheet, lively, Kennedy!" said the skipper. "Ease off the
jib-sheet, Mr. Norwood!"

"We shall be afoul of the Phantom!" cried Dick Adams, as he began to run
out on the foot-ropes by the bowsprit.

"Lay in, Dick!" shouted Donald. "Don't go out there!"

Dick retraced his steps, and came on deck. The Phantom had not cast in
the right direction, and was coming around on the starboard tack, which
had very nearly produced a collision with the Maud, the two bowsprits
coming within a few inches of each other.

"I was going out to fend off," said Dick, as he came aft, in obedience
to orders.

"I was afraid you would be knocked off the bowsprit, which is a bad
place to be, when two vessels put their noses together. It was a close
shave, but we are all right now," replied the skipper.

"The Sea Foam takes the lead," added Mr. Norwood.

"She had the head end of the line. The Skylark made a good start."

"First rate," said Kennedy. "She couldn't be handled any better than she
is."

"We lead her a little," continued Mr. Norwood.

"We had the advantage of her about half a length; as the Sea Foam has a
length the best of us."

The yachts were to form the line head to the wind, and this line was
diagonal with the course to Turtle Head, so that the Sea Foam, which was
farthest from the Penobscot, had really two length's less distance to go
in getting to Stubb's Point Ledge than the Skylark; but this difference
was not worth considering in such a breeze, though, if the commodore was
beaten by only half a length by the Maud, he intended to claim the race
on account of this disparity. The two yachts in which all the interest
centred, both obtained a fair start, the Maud a little ahead of her
great rival. The Phantom had to come about, and get on the right tack,
for Guilford was too careful to gybe in that wind. The Sea Foam got off
very well; and Vice Commodore Patterdale was doing his best to make a
good show for his yacht, but