There was also an eight-oared boat belonging to the University,and rowed by a picked crew of stalwart young fellows.The bow oar and captain of the University crew was a powerful young man,who,like the captain of the girls'boat,was a noted gymnast.He had had one or two quiet trials with Miss Euthymia,in which,according to the ultras of the woman's rights party,he had not vindicated the superiority of his sex in the way which might have been expected.
Indeed,it was claimed that he let a cannon-ball drop when he ought to have caught it,and it was not disputed that he had been ingloriously knocked over by a sand-bag projected by the strong arms of the young maiden.This was of course a story that was widely told and laughingly listened to,and the captain of the University crew had become a little sensitive on the subject.When there was a talk,therefore,about a race between the champion boats of the two institutions there was immense excitement in both of them,as well as among the members of the Pansophian Society and all the good people of the village.
There were many objections to be overcome.Some thought it unladylike for the young maidens to take part in a competition which must attract many lookers-on,and which it seemed to them very hoidenish to venture upon.Some said it was a shame to let a crew of girls try their strength against an equal number of powerful young men.These objections were offset by the advocates of the race by the following arguments.They maintained that it was no more hoidenish to row a boat than it was to take a part in the calisthenic exercises,and that the girls had nothing to do with the young men's boat,except to keep as much ahead of it as possible.As to strength,the woman's righters believed that,weight for weight,their crew was as strong as the other,and of course due allowance would be made for the difference of weight and all other accidental hindrances.It was time to test the boasted superiority of masculine muscle.Here was a chance.If the girls beat,the whole country would know it,and after that female suffrage would be only a question of time.Such was the conclusion,from rather insufficient premises,it must be confessed;but if nature does nothing per saltum,--by jumps,--as the old adage has it,youth is very apt to take long leaps from a fact to a possible sequel or consequence.So it had come about that a contest between the two boat-crews was looked forward to with an interest almost equal to that with which the combat between the Horatii and Curiatii was regarded.
The terms had been at last arranged between the two crews,after cautious protocols and many diplomatic discussions.It was so novel in its character that it naturally took a good deal of time to adjust it in such a way as to be fair to both parties.The course must not be too long for the lighter and weaker crew,for the staying power of the young persons who made it up could not be safely reckoned upon.
A certain advantage must be allowed them at the start,and this was a delicate matter to settle.The weather was another important consideration.June would be early enough,in all probability,and if the lake should be tolerably smooth the grand affair might come off some time in that month.Any roughness of the water would be unfavorable to the weaker crew.The rowing-course was on the eastern side of the lake,the starting-point being opposite the Anchor Tavern;from that three quarters of a mile to the south,where the turning-stake was fixed,so that the whole course of one mile and a half would bring the boats back to their starting-point.
The race was to be between the Algonquin,eight-oared boat with outriggers,rowed by young men,students of Stoughton University,and the Atalanta,also eight-oared and outrigger boat,by young ladies from the Corinna Institute.Their boat was three inches wider than the other,for various sufficient reasons,one of which was to make it a little less likely to go over and throw its crew into the water,which was a sound precaution,though all the girls could swim,and one at least,the bow oar,was a famous swimmer,who had pulled a drowning man out of the water after a hard struggle to keep him from carrying her down with him.
Though the coming trial had not been advertised in the papers,so as to draw together a rabble of betting men and ill-conditioned lookers-on,there was a considerable gathering,made up chiefly of the villagers and the students of the two institutions.Among them were a few who were disposed to add to their interest in the trial by small wagers.The bets were rather in favor of the "Quins,"as the University boat was commonly called,except where the natural sympathy of the young ladies or the gallantry of some of the young men led them to risk their gloves or cigars,or whatever it might be,on the Atalantas.The elements of judgment were these:average weight of the Algonquins one hundred and sixty-five pounds;average weight of the Atalantas,one hundred and forty-eight pounds;skill in practice about equal;advantage of the narrow boat equal to three lengths;whole distance allowed the Atalantas eight lengths,--a long stretch to be made up in a mile and a half.
And so both crews began practising for the grand trial.
