e, were very good friends.
Dale was a slim, lightly-built young fellow of eighteen, with a fair
complexion and an open boyish face. He was a general favourite, and,
though not athletically inclined, was always ready to assist in acting
cox or kindred work. Max Durend was dark-complexioned, somewhat
reserved, and of a more thoughtful disposition. He also was eighteen
years of age, was of medium height but strongly built, and possessed a
great capacity for hard work. As has already been explained, he was not
popular, and that may have been partly due to his reserve, and partly to
the fact that he was only half English, namely on his mother's side.

The race on the following day was even less exhilarating than the last.
Benson's still rowed at their provokingly slow stroke, simply retaining
their position at No. 4, while Johnson's and Colson's, after a terrific
struggle, changed places. Thus Cradock's remained at the Head with the
Johnson and Colson crews second and third.

It needed all Dale's persuasion and plentiful supply of hopeful
suppositions (partly derived from his talk with Durend, but mostly made
up out of his own head) to keep the Benson crew from breaking out into
open revolt. Every day they had finished the race half fresh, and not
one of them could see the use of parading up and down the course as
though uncertain whether they were in the race or not.

And through it all Mr. Benson just looked grimly on, indifferent,
apparently, to all their woes, and said no word save a little--a very
little--commendation, no doubt intended to keep them from entering the
very last stages of despair. It seemed as though he had given the whole
thing up as a bad job, and did not intend to interest himself further in
the matter.

Another day came just like the last, and listlessly the dispirited crew
turned their oars on the feather and waited for the signal to start.
Quite suddenly they woke up to the fact that Stroke was leaning back
towards them and speaking.

"Now, you fellows," he was saying in a quiet but tense voice, "I am
going to give you a racing start at last. See to it, then, that you pick
it up and keep it. Don't forget. Franklin, I rely upon you to do your
utmost to keep up with us. Now, boys!"

"Boom!"

There was scarcely a soul about to see Benson's start; nearly everyone
was watching the struggles going on ahead, where strong crews were
striving in the last days to secure and hold a higher position for