being hoisted aboard, and broke a leg. Some one was
to blame for the accident. I do not know who, but I shall know."

"Oh, that is too bad!" breathed Dan, turning away to his disappointment.

"It's all off, Sam," he said when a few minutes later he joined his
chum.

"What's off!"

"The race we were to row day after to-morrow."

"On account of Joe Harper?"

"Yes, have you seen him?"

"No; I guess they won't let anybody see him to-day."

The boys went about their work for the rest of the day with downcast
countenances. The entire crew was in the doldrums. All their hopes,
pinned to the "Long Island's" racing crew, had been suddenly dashed. A
race now seemed out of the question. There was neither laughter nor
song in the forecastle that night. All hands went to bed surly and
disgusted.

On the following morning the captain's orderly called Dan Davis from
his gun station, with the information that the captain directed Seaman
Davis to proceed to the sick bay to see Boatswain's Mate Harper.

Dan obeyed the order, wondering at its having come to him through the
source it did.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Harper," said the lad as he entered the sick
bay, and the boatswain's mate extended a hand to him. "I'm sorry for
the race, and I am sorry for you. It's too bad."

"Yes; I've got a bad knockout. I don't believe my leg ever will be
right. I guess they will retire me, all right. But that isn't what I
sent for you to talk about. I want to talk about the race."

"The race? Why, there won't be any race now--that is, so far as we are
concerned. Some of the other ships will carry off the cup now."

Harper smiled wanly.

"There must be. The crew must run the race just the same."

"But it will not be possible without you."

"Perhaps there is no one on board who understands the racing game quite
as well as I do. I have run many of these gig races, Davis. But there
is one man on board in whom I have great confidence. He has the pluck.
He knows rowing. Even if he doesn't win, which could hardly be
expected of him, he'll make some of the other fellows work for their
laurels."

Dan's eyes were glowing.

"I--I am so glad to hear you say that, Mr. Harper. That is good news,
indeed. Then we will have the race after all?"

"Yes; the race will be run. They shall not have an opportunity to say
that the battleship 'Long Island' got cold feet at the last minute."

"They'd better not say it before me," an