The Argosy — page 177: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

162 Heads or Tails? nation. ‘That settled the point for good and all; she never would marry a man who was only a cox. ‘¢ Rather not; at least, not the kind of cox you mean. These are the coxswainless fours, you know, and one of the men has the ropes under his feet and steers looking back and keeping as straight a course as he can. But it’s killing work, I can tell you, and likely to be heart-breaking work, too, when to be taken a yard out of one’s course may mean losing the whole race.” ‘““Why have they made Mr. Hamilton steer?” Violet asked, this time with anxious sympathy. “Why? Because he’s a long way the best man for it, and for any- thing else, too. Derby is the stronger crew, but all the betting is on St. Stephen’s, just because Hamilton’s in it.” Violet felt her cheeks tingle with pleasure ; this unanimous popu- larity surely told its own tale. ‘Which is the winning post ?” she asked next. ‘Well, there are two. ‘The river is a bit narrow for racing in some parts, and so the boats start one of them twenty yards ahead of the other ; and the first boat, if it means to win, has to reach that post over there,” pointing to the right, ‘‘ before the second one reaches here just in front of us. It’s a bit hard with twenty yards between them to judge which is really ahead during the race, but a gun will be fired as soon asit’s won. Hullo! Why they must have started!” Violet could not possibly tell how her companion came by this piece of information ; for though the opposite bank had been almost deserted for some time—most of them having run up towards Iffley—of course the boats were a long way out of sight, and not even a sound of cheering reached her listening ears. But Montague, with quick and knowing eyes, had espied that on the distant bridge of Iffley, of which he could just discern one grey arch, the crowd had begun to move from left to right ; and in a few moments, to confirm his statement, a faint sound was heard by them both. It grew louder and louder, this shouting of the enthusiastic undergraduates as they ran along the bank. Then the foremost of them came in sight ; and at last, to Violet’s intense excitement, first one boat and then another appeared round the corner. ‘Derby has the first station ; and, by Jove! it’s a close race!” was Montague’s first exclamation. Violet fixed her eyes intently upon the sete of the two boats, in which already she fancied she could discern her lover. Some of the spectators on the barge, not being able to calculate to a nicety the distance of twenty yards, kept saying : ‘‘Oh, Derby is winning easily! They are walking in!” Indeed, it seemed to Violet as though the distance between the two boats was greater than it ought to be, but she held her tongue, and Montague kept saying : ‘‘ By Jove, it’s a close race! But we shall win it yet!” CORNICLIOOKS (E(©) im