-day," I continued, confidently. "We are both
well down in the water, with our coal-bunkers and water-tanks full. She
is nearly an hour ahead of us now, and her captain was hurrying her all
he could."

Owen was delighted with the decision of Colonel Shepard when he
accepted my invitation. He had regained his divinity, and he conducted
her on board of the Sylvania, while the colonel assisted Mrs. Shepard.
Owen escorted Miss Edith to the pilot-house, and her mother went down
into the cabin, for the morning was rather raw and chilly. Margie took
her dear friend to her heart, and hoped the Sylvania would never
overtake the Islander.

"You must let the other steamer keep ahead, Captain Alick," said
Margie, as I took my place at the wheel, when the baggage had been put
on board.

"That would be treason to the Sylvania and treason to Colonel Shepard,"
I replied, as I rang the bell to start the steamer.

I knew the river well enough to go ahead confidently, and I had given
the chief-engineer a hint as to what I expected of him. In a few
minutes, the little steamer was buzzing along at the rate of eleven
miles an hour. The only thing I feared was fog, and there seemed to be
great banks of it off in the direction of the mouth of the river.

"Mr. Washburn," I called through the windows in front of me.

"On deck, sir," replied the mate.

"Call all hands, and set the fore-topsail."

"Ay, ay, sir," responded Washburn; and I knew there would be no lack of
zeal on his part when we came to an out-and-out race.

All hands usually consisted of the two deck hands; but Ben Bowman, the
second fireman, and the cabin-waiter were available when there was any
extra work to be done. Buck Lingley and Hop Tossford, the deck hands,
were sent aloft by the mate to loose sails, while the others manned the
halyard and the braces. In a very short time the topsail was drawing
full, and the speed of the vessel was sensibly increased.

"Mr. Washburn!" I called again.

"On deck, sir," responded the mate.

"Set the foresail."

The crew made quick work of it.

"Now the mainsail, Mr. Washburn," I continued.

The wind was quite fresh, and the fore and aft sails caused the steamer
to heel over considerably when the puffs came, as they generally do in
a south-westerly breeze.

"You will tip us over, Captain Alick!" cried Miss Margie, who had not
been at sea in the Sylvania.

"I won't do anything of the kind, Miss Tiffany," I replied, with a