By this time the Marian was close under the bow of the Silver Moon. Dick checked the headway of the barge, and Dory put the helm down. Up went the starboard oars on the Marian, and the sloop was alongside of her the next minute. Dory leaped into the stern-sheets, and took his place at the stroke oar. The sailboat fell astern, and the crew gave way again. Dick gave Dory all the information he had in regard to the capture of Paul. Both of them were satisfied that the poor fellow would be beaten half to death if he was not rescued from the enemy. By the time the story had been told, the Gildrock changed her course, and pointed her bow for the creek at the head of the bay. On the shore they could see several young men in the uniform of the Chesterfield barges, and they could be no other than the captors of Paul. The four-oar boat was just making a landing. When the commodore changed his course, the barges of the two schools were at about the same distance from the mouth of the creek. Oscar's strategy had given Beech Hill this equal advantage. The movement of the barges created a sudden sensation on board of the Racer and the Dasher. Major Billcord began to demonstrate, and a good deal of violent jawing came from the crews. The magnate had seen the two ruffians take the boat from the wharf, and pull to the head of the bay. He could not fail to understand that the prisoner was to be brought off in her. Doubtless, he commended the prudence of the ruffians in avoiding the crowd on shore. He had kept faith with his hired villains for his own sake as well as for theirs, and he was the only person in the barges who expected Paul to be put on board, or who comprehended the movements of the six absentees from the boats. It was evident to him that the Beech Hillers had discovered what was going on, though it was a mystery to him how they had obtained their information, for the coming of Susy Wellington had not been observed. "Run for the head of the bay, Jack Woodhorn!" exclaimed Major Billcord, when he saw the Beech Hill barges headed in that direction. "You must get there before those rascals from the other side do, or they will thrash the six boys of the institute who are there." "We can't do anything, sir; we are four oars short in this boat, and two in the other," replied the coxswain of the Dasher. "Don't waste a second, Jack!" protested the magnate. "Do the best you can. You have the inside track, and you ought to beat them with half a crew." Woodhorn gave the order to give way, and the eight rowers in his boat were soon pulling with all their might. The Racer followed her, and, having ten oars, she passed her. It looked like a race between the two schools, though it was a very unequal one. The Chesterfield students had improved in rowing a great deal since the last season, but discipline was still the wanting element in their organization, and though they had never measured speed with the Beech Hill boats, they were no match for them.