The boy needed no second bidding. Over the side he went, while the craft was still moving at good speed. He jumped into about two feet of water and then, reaching into his pocket to see if his precious copy was safe, he started on a run up the hill toward the telegraph office. The crowd set up a cheer, though they did not know what for, except that there had been a race and someone had won. The waves created by the passage of the _Porpoise_ prevented Jim from rowing steadily, and it was several minutes later before he was able to land Peter. The boy jumped ashore and started to run after Larry. “Here!” cried Jim, catching hold of him. “Where’s my ten dollars?” “Pay you when I come back,” said Peter. “You’ll pay me now,” said Jim, taking a firm grip on the boy’s shoulder. “I’ve earned my money and I want it.” “There you go!” exclaimed Peter, throwing down a bill and wrenching himself free. Then he started up the hill after his rival. But Larry had too good a start to be beaten now. Straight toward the tent he dashed, giving but one glance behind to see that Peter was far in the rear. All he needed to do, he knew, was to get his copy into the hands of the operator first. The rule of precedence would then prevail. “There!” gasped Larry, a few minutes later, as, panting from his run, he dashed into the tent. “There’s some copy. Rush it!” “Looks as if you’d been rushing it,” commented the man, with a glance at Larry. “Why, what in the world is the matter with it? It’s all wet.” “I fell overboard,” said Larry. “But you can read it, can’t you?” “I reckon so. Lucky it’s in pencil instead of ink. If it was ink, it would have run in the water.” Fortunately Mr. Newton had used tough and heavy paper to write on, and Larry had folded the copy tightly and placed it inside a leather pocketbook, so that, though the sheets were pretty damp, their short immersion in the water had not harmed them. Three minutes after Larry had “filed” his copy Peter came dashing in. He flung down a package of paper. “Here! Get that right on the wire!” he ordered in an insolent tone. “You’ll have to wait,” said the operator coolly. “This gentleman had his in ahead of you, and the rule here is ‘first come first served.’” “I’ll give you five dollars if you send mine first,” said Peter. “Look here, you little whipper-snapper!” the operator exclaimed. “I want you to understand you can’t bribe me. I wouldn’t send yours first for fifty dollars. Now you get out of this tent. You can leave your copy, and I’ll send it after I get this batch off. But the _Leader_ stuff goes first!” Peter, with an angry glance at Larry, slunk out. “I’d like to give him a good switching,” muttered the operator, as he began to work his telegraph instruments preparatory to getting Larry’s copy off. “The idea of trying to bribe me!” Larry, after seeing that Mr. Newton’s story was safe, turned to go back.