found
himself so weary that the putting on of ordinary clothes was a
process which proceeded slowly. After a while, however, all six
had rolled themselves in their blankets and lay on the leaf-piled
floor of the tent.
All but Dick and Harry were asleep, presently, when an automobile
stopped near the camp.
"Anyone at home?" called Referee Tyndall, poking his head in past
the flap of the tent and viewing the recumbent lads. "All here?
That's good. I'm a committee of one, sent over here by the Gridley
folks at the hotel. They're ordering a supper and they want you
boys to come over promptly. You're to be the guests of honor."
"Will you be good enough to present the Gridley people with our
best thanks," returned Dick promptly, rising to greet the referee,
"and ask them very kindly to excuse us? Assure them, please,
that we're in strict training, with more races to come, and that
banquets would perhaps spoil us for the next race."
"I'm afraid I'll have difficulty in getting that message through,"
protested Mr. Tyndall. "Your Gridley friends are bound to have
you over at the hotel."
"They can't get us there with anything less than the state militia,"
declared Dave, who had awakened. "We can fight and whip any smaller
body of armed men that tries to drag us away from our rest.
Our friends are good to us but can't they understand that we ache?"
"You _do_ look rather played out," assented Mr.
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