"
"Are you goin' to take them girls along that you had yesterday?"
inquired Sam abruptly.
"Do you mean in the race?" asked Fred.
"What did you think I meant?"
"Well, we're not going to take them."
"Then maybe there'll be a chance to win out. I wouldn't promise
anything with them on board, especially one of them. She's all
right, but she would want to steer the boat and talk to the crew
when it might be that the whole race was dependin' on what we
were doin' right then and there."
"No, you can rest easy about that," said Fred. "There won't be
anybody on board except the Go Ahead boys and you."
"Well, then," said Sam, "if that's the case then we'll have to
keep a sharp watch on the Black Growler."
Sam's manner more than the words he spoke impressed the boys with
the fact that he was holding back something that he had heard or
knew concerning the possibilities of trouble for the swift little
motor-boat. Just what they were, neither Fred nor George could
conjecture. Their confidence in Sam was great and when they
departed from the boat-house they made light of his fears.
"Sam is a regular old kill joy," laughed George.
"There has to be somebody," said Fred, "to take the joy out of
life. It wouldn't be worth living if that wasn't so."
"Well, Sam does his best," said George with a laugh, "and the
only reason why he doesn't succeed is because his bark is worse
than his bite.
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