he royal blood. His
companions seemed to think that every title signifying something
bouncing should be applied to him at odd times. And so he answered to
anything that came along.

"My gracious! but ain't she a corker, though?" Nick now gasped, as his
eyes seemed to be trying to pop out of his head with admiration.

"Finest ever," observed George, a little envy in his black eyes; for
there were certain weak spots in his disposition that he had to fight
continually, sometimes winning out, and again giving in to the
temptation.

It was certainly a handsome specimen of the Winona silversmith's
cunning, standing almost a foot and a half high, and being decorated
with a magnificent mimic representation of a little motor boat resting
under a live oak tree that overhung the water of a bayou; and which, of
course, represented Dixieland, as could be easily seen from the long
streamers of Spanish moss dangling from the limbs.

Both boys handled the trophy with eager hands.

"Say, that's worth going after," said Nick, finally. "And I'd like to
wager that when Herb and Josh show it to their folks they'll easily get
permission to join us in the long dash to New Orleans."

"And what great times we've already had, laying out the program,"
remarked Jack. "That was worth something, alone. The journey's
divided up in about two hundred mile divisions. No boat can leave a
division point until every contestant is there to make an even start.
Only the time _consumed between actual stations_ to be counted in the
final summing up."

"And that other provision about the running time being exactly between
eight in the morning and four in the afternoon is a mighty wise thing,"
remarked George.

"Yes," said Nick, "but what worries the crew of the _Wireless_ is what
they're going to do with all the time on their hands. We've planned to
take a gun along, so we can do some shooting as we wait; and then the
fishing ought to be worth while. If necessary, I'll go overboard, and
try those new White Wings I bought. I'm going to have a whole lot of
fun with those contraptions; besides learn how to swim like a duck."

"Oh! bother those old junk things; will we ever hear the last of the
wonderful stunts Pudding expects to do with 'em'?" groaned George.

"Sure I saw him sthandin' in two fate of water one day, and flappin'
his wings like a burrd, so I did," declared Jimmie, seriously. "I
wanted him to walk out to dape water, but he said h