ybody asked me, I'd say we had
more chance with a husky fellow like you, for instance, who never has
been known to get tired, and can use his head as well as his heels."

"Then there's Sid and Brad," remarked Fred, hastily, "who have made up
their minds to be in the line when the signal is given; both of them are
known to be stayers. Of course I'll do my level best, but I hope none of
you pin your faith to a single runner. A little team work, or strategy,
sometimes helps out in cases of this kind."

"How can that be, when everyone has to run for himself, until hopelessly
distanced, if I read the rules straight?" asked Bristles.

"Only in this way," replied Fred. "If there are three entered from a
school, one of them might take the lead, and set the pace for a while.
When he had covered, say a third of the distance, he would fall back, and
a second forge to the front, leaving the last fellow to cover the home
stretch. It's been done in other races, though I believe some people
frown on it. Still, there's no ban on the practice."

"Why, no, this is a race between rival schools," said Bristles, "and
every fellow is supposed to be willing to sacrifice individual chances
for the good of the lot, just as team-work pays in baseball or anything
else."

"Well, let's cut out the talk for a while, and put on more steam,"
advised Fred. "Here's a good chance for a spurt, down the grade, and
then along two miles of level road."

"Go you, Fred!"

The two runners went flying along like the wind until they had reached
the foot of a steep hill, which it would be folly to attempt to climb at
more than a walk. Once beyond this, a fine stretch of country opened
before them, with farms and woodland on every side.

Fred had a pretty fair map of the region, which he had made from picking
up information on every side. One of his motives in making this tour on
Saturday morning, was to verify its truth. Once the route of the
Marathon race had been issued, all those who expected to compete would
have the privilege of going over the ground as often as they pleased. If
any fellow were smart enough to discover how he could cut off a hundred
yards or two, and yet report at every station, he was at liberty to do
so.

A knowledge of the course often counts heavily in a Marathon race, as it
does in many other things. That is why most baseball clubs play better
on their home grounds, where they know the lay of the land, the presence