glow with kindly feeling towards
the others. Even Tim Bunker for the time laid aside his morose look, and
joined in the expression of good will with as much zeal as his
companions.

"Now man your oars, Zephyrs," said Frank.

"What ye going to do now?" asked Tim, as he grasped his oar with the
others.

"You shall know in due time," replied the coxswain.

Here was another thing which Tim had yet to learn--not to ask questions
of the commander. It was a part of the discipline of the club to obey
without stopping to argue the point. Captain Sedley himself had
suggested this idea, and it had been thoroughly carried out on board the
Zephyr. It was an established principle that "the coxswain knew what he
was about," and that he alone was responsible for the guidance and the
safety of the boat.

Tim did not seem to fancy this kind of discipline. He evidently felt
that he had been born to command, and not to obey. But the consciousness
that he was in the minority induced him to yield whatever convictions he
might have had of his own superiority to the will of the "powers that
be," and he followed the example of the others.

"Ready--pull!" continued Frank.

He and Tony had arranged a little system of "fleet maneuvers," to be
carried out when the two boats met.

To the surprise of all on board,--for they were not "posted up" in
regard to these tactics,--Frank put the Zephyr about.

"Cease--rowing!" said he, when the boat was headed in the opposite
direction.

To the further surprise of the Zephyrs, they discovered that the
Butterfly had executed a similar maneuver, and that the two boats lay at
the distance of nearly a quarter of a mile apart, the bow of one
pointing directly east, and the other directly west.

"Ready to back her!" said Frank, and the boys all pulled their oar
handles close to their breasts, ready at the word to take the reverse
stroke.

"Back her!"

The Butterfly did the same thing exactly, and the two boats rapidly
approached each other, stern first. Tony had certainly made the most of
the time which had been allotted to him for drilling his crew, and they
worked together almost as well as the Zephyrs, who were a little
embarrassed at each new movement by the awkwardness of Tim Bunker.

"Steady--slow," continued Frank, as the two boats came nearer together.
"That will do; cease--rowing. Ready--up!" and the twelve oars gleamed in
the sunshine.

The sterns of the two boats came together, and