put in Tom.

"But they've discommonsed me for staying away," said Drysdale;
"not that I care much for that, though."

"Well, Miller goes down to-morrow morning--I heard him say so,"
said another.

"Then we'll memorialize the Captain and get out of these Abingdon
pulls. Life isn't worth having at this rate."

"No other boat has been below Sandford, yet."

And so they sat on and plotted, and soon most of the other crews
started. And then they took their turn at skittles, and almost
forgot their grievances, which must be explained to those who
don't know the river at Oxford.

The river runs along the south of the city, getting into the
university quarter after it passes under the bridge connecting
Berks and Oxfordshire, over which is the road to Abingdon. Just
below this bridge are the boat builders' establishments on both
sides of the river, and then on the Oxfordshire side is
Christchurch meadow, opposite which is moored the university
barge. Here is the goal of all university races; and the
racecourse stretches away down the river for a mile and a half,
and a little below the starting place of the races is Iffley
Lock. The next lock below Iffley is the Sandford Lock (where we
left our boat's crew playing at skittles), which is about a mile
and a half below Iffley. Below Sandford there is no lock till you
get to Abingdon, a distance of six miles and more by the river.
Now, inasmuch as the longest distance to be rowed in the races is
only the upper mile and a half from Iffley to the university
barge, of course all crews think themselves very hardly treated
if they are taken further than to Sandford. Pulling "hard all"
from Sandford to Iffley, and then again from Iffley over the
regular course, ought to be enough in all conscience. So chorus
the crews; and most captains and coxswains give in. But here and
there some enemy of his kind--some uncomfortable, worriting,
energizing mortal, like Miller--gets command of a boat, and then
the unfortunate crew are dragged, bemoaning their fate, down
below Sandford, where no friendly lock intervenes to break the
long, steady swing of the training pull every two miles, and the
result for the time is blisters and mutiny. I am bound to add
that it generally tells, and that the crew which has been
undergoing that _peine forte et dure_ is very apt to get the
change out of it on the nights of hard races.

So the St. Ambrose crew played out their skittles, and settled to
appeal t