The half-mile buoy was not distinguishable from where Joel stood, but the mile was plainly in sight.

Some one who held a stop-watch behind Joel uttered an impatient growl at the slow time the crews were making.
"There'll be no record broken to-day," he said.

"They're eight seconds behind already for the first quarter." But Joel didn't care about that.

If only those eight swaying forms might pass first beyond the finish line he cared but little what the time might be.

The cheering, which had ceased as the boats left the start, now began again as they approached the finish of the first quarter of the course.
"Rah-rah-rah; rah-rah-rah; rah-rah-rah, Hillton!" rang out from the right bank.
"S, E, A; S, E, A; S, E, A; Saint Eustace!" replied the left bank with a defiant roar of sound that was caught by the hills and flung back in echoes across the water.