New York then I am all out of practice with my feet and
legs and arms, so the only thing for me to do is to keep in the game.
Besides, I like it and what a fellow likes to do isn't work, it's play.
I'm finishing up that dummy," explained Sam to the boys when they
entered. "One arm is a bit too long and one of the feet ought to have a
number four shoe and the other about a number nine. I have seen people
that way, but not very often."

"I should think you would wake up in the night with the nightmare,"
laughed George. "I think I should if I looked out and saw somebody over
in the corner of the room still, staring and silent."

"Yes, some folks is easily scared," acknowledged Sam. "I've been over
to Alexandria Bay," he added.

"When?" inquired Fred quickly.

"Oh, I guess I've been over two or three times. I've been asking some
questions about those men that run the Varmint II."

"What did you find out about them?" inquired both boys eagerly.

"Accordin' to what I heard they aren't much good."

"What do you mean?"

"Why, I think they are a tough lot," said Sam, shaking his head. "The
two fellows that own the boat are both of them sons of very rich men,
who give them all the money they want to use. It hasn't done the
youngsters any good, I guess, from what I heard. They bought the
motor-boat expecting that there wouldn't be anything on the river that
could touch her. They say they are pretty sore now that they have found
that there is a boat which may give them a hard rub and perhaps take
the cup away from them after all."

"Sam, if you win that race for us--" began Fred eagerly.

"I'm not going to win your race," broke in Sam. "I've heard you say
that you're going to do the steering yourself and if you are, why the
only thing I can do is to be a sort of court of appeals. I'll be there
to help you out if something goes wrong. Now, we're up against a pretty
serious proposition. Those fellows are bound to win that race and if
they can't win it one way they are goin' to win it another."

"I don't see how they can win, Sam, if they don't go faster than we do."

"Maybe they can win," suggested Sam, "if we go slower than they do."

"That's the same thing," laughed George.

"Not by a jugful."

"Why isn't it?"

"Why, they may not be goin' so very fast and yet if our boat isn't in
good shape it may be that they'll keep ahead of us and beat us."

"Well, that's just what you're here for," said Fred; "to see that
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