d true. As the _Skimmer_ rounded the bend, a good,
stiff blast struck her sails and away she started after the _Rosebud_.

"Now we are going some!" cried Andy, his face brightening.

"Make her hum!" cried Pepper.

Slowly but surely the _Skimmer_ crept up on the _Rosebud_, until the bow
of the second craft overlapped the stern of the first.

"Not walking away so fast now, are you?" questioned Pepper, cheerily.

"Just wait, we'll beat you, see if we don't!" growled Coulter.

"Swing the mainsail over!" cried Ritter.

His order was obeyed, and the _Rosebud_ commenced to pick up again. But
the _Skimmer_ kept on steadily, and at last, when the turning-point was
reached, was several lengths ahead.

"Now for the homestretch!" cried Jack.

"I hope we win by about a mile!" was Andy's wish.

The turning-point was a well-known rock, and the _Skimmer_ came around
this in fine style. But, just as this was accomplished, Ritter allowed
the _Rosebud_ to swing around out of the proper course.

"Look out, you'll run us down!" yelled Fred, in alarm.

"Clear the track!" yelled Ritter, angrily. "Clear the track!"

"The clown!" muttered Jack. "Does he want to run into us?"

Fred worked quickly, assisted by all the others and the _Skimmer_ was
thrown out of her course. On rushed both of the iceboats and the
_Rosebud_ slid by the other with less than six inches to spare.

"Ritter, that wasn't fair!" shouted Fred. "I won't race with a fellow
who won't sail fair!"

"You go to grass! I don't care about the race anyway!" howled the bully.

"You are beaten and you know it," cried Pepper.

"In a regular race such actions would disqualify you," was Jack's
comment.

"Oh, don't preach! I know what I am doing!" grumbled Ritter, and then he
steered off in another direction and out of hearing.

"What a mean bully he is getting to be!" said Fred. "It seems to me he
is much worse than he was when I first came to the Hall."

"He is slowly but surely losing his grip here and that is souring him,"
answered Jack. "Before he knows it he won't have a friend in the world.
As it is, about the only fellow who is really friendly with him is
Coulter. Paxton doesn't have much to do with him, and Mumps merely
toadies to him the same as he toadies to Dan Baxter and some of the
rest."

"Where shall we go now?" asked Fred.

"Anywhere you please," came from the others.

"Shall we take a run up to Point View?" and Fred looked quizzically at
first