In the face of these unquestionable facts Wingate Chase was helpless; he could not do otherwise than admit his identity. "We're going to have some events on Saturday," he said. "This fellow with me is from the Edgemere High School and----" "He's going to get beaten," shouted Pee-wee; "because Bridgeboro High School can lick all the high schools around here, in athletics and debates and everything." "That's all right, Kiddo," said the fellow from Edgemere High School. "You bet it's all right," said Pee-wee. "We were thinking we'd like to use your island," said Wingate Chase. "You don't want to take it to Edgemere, do you?" Townsend Ripley asked. "We don't allow it to be taken from the premises. You may use it here if you care to." "Find out what they want to use it for," shouted Pee-wee. "What do you want to use it for?" Townsend asked. "Tell them they'll have to pay for any damage they do to it," Pee-wee said. "We just want to put a flag on it," Wingate Chase said. "You mean you want to take possession of it?" Pee-wee demanded. "You mean you want to discover it? _I'm_ the discoverer of this desert island." The fellow from Edgemere seemed rather amused at Pee-wee. "All we want to do," he said, "is to use it to beat the Bridgeboro High School in the rowing match. We just want to row around it. The two crews will start from the boat-house and race upstream and around this island and back. Now that won't hurt the island any, will it? In a few minutes it will be all over except the shouting." "Shall we let them do it?" Pee-wee whispered to Townsend. "Of course we'll want one of our referees to stay on the island during the races," said Wingate, "but he won't hurt anything. There'll be several races, a rowing race, a canoe race, a swimming race and so on; we haven't made up the program yet." "Are you going to have any refreshments?" Pee-wee demanded. "We don't allow refreshments on the island," said Townsend. "Shall we let them do it?" Pee-wee asked. "Positively," said Townsend; "I don't see how we can stop them, as long as they keep outside of the three mile limit. The referee won't do any harm. All he does is to see that the racing is fair as they round the limit." "We're the limit, hey?" vociferated Pee-wee. "You said it," laughed the fellow from Edgemere. "All right," said Pee-wee, "you can do it." It was not until the Alligator Patrol sat around their camp-fire that night that the possibilities of this participation in the athletic events began to unfold in the seething mind of our hero. He had stood somewhat upon his dignity with the committee because he did not want to hold the island too cheap in their eyes.