happening to be nearest to it when they did see it,
got the benefit and was first around. We were close up, almost near
enough to board the Withrow's quarter rounding. I am not sure that the
skipper and Clancy, who were to the wheel, did not try to give Hollis
a poke with the end of our long bowsprit; but if they did, the Johnnie
was not quite fast enough for that. The Withrow beat us around.
Looking back we could see the others coming like wild horses. Every
one of them, except one that carried away something and hauled up and
out of it, was diving into it to the foremast with every leap the same
as we had been. On that first leg nobody could stand anywhere for'ard
of the fore-hatch or he would have been swept overboard.

Leaving Egg Rock and going for Minot's Ledge, the skipper left the
wheel and George Nelson took his place beside Clancy. It was drizzling
then, every now and then that settling down so that we couldn't see
three lengths ahead. At such times we simply hoped that nobody ahead
would carry away anything or in any way become disabled in the road.

Well clear of the stake-boat, however, it lifted and we could see what
we were doing. The Lucy Foster was still ahead with O'Donnell and
Ohlsen and Hollis almost abreast--no more than a few lengths between.
Practically they were all about just as they started. We were next. It
was a broad reach to Minot's Ledge and hard going for all hands. It
must be remembered that we all had everything on, even to balloon and
staysails, and our halyards were lashed aloft. The men to the
mast-head, who were up there to shift tacks, were having a sweet time
of it hanging on, even lashed though they were.

Everybody was pretty well strung up at this time. The skipper, a line
about his elbow, was hooked up to the main-rigging--the weather side,
of course--and it was up to a man's waist and boiling white on the lee
side. The crew were snug up under the weather rail and hanging on--no
mistake either about the way they were hanging on. Every once in
awhile one of us would poke his head up to see what they were doing to
windward of us. Mr. Duncan, who had come aboard just before we left
the dock, was trying to sit on the weather bitt near the wheel-box. He
had a line around his waist, too. He had bet a lot of money with
Withrow on the race, but I don't think that his money was worrying him
half so much as some other things then.

So far as we could see at this time we were making a