The Boys of Columbia High on the River

The Boys of Columbia High on the River

The Boys of Columbia High on the River, by Graham B. Forbes, opens with coxswain Frank Allen and his lanky chum Clarence "Lanky" Wallace scouting the Harrapin River course before Columbia High's Fourth of July regatta, only to have their rowboat sabotaged with a deliberately bored hole—almost certainly the work of Frank's malicious rival, Lef Seller. After swamping, the pair is nearly run down by a mysterious motor-boat whose pilot laughs as he rams them, then commandeers an abandoned buggy from two panicked strangers, discovering a bag of stolen jewelry beneath the seat. They outwit the thieves by swapping the loot for rocks before Police Chief Hogg intercepts them, though the crooks recover the decoy bag. The sabotage campaign against Columbia's boating hopes escalates: the school's brand-new eight-oared shell vanishes from the freight platform, later found hoisted atop a downtown skyscraper under construction—traced through a scrap of green burlap found by Minnie Cuthbert. That night, arsonists attack the boathouse; Buster Billings and Bones Shadduck, standing guard, fend off the blaze and Buster knocks an intruder into the river, though the culprit escapes. Suspicion centers on Lef Seller, though Frank lacks proof. On regatta day, Columbia sweeps preliminary events—canoe races, Buster's comic tub race, and the power-boat contest, narrowly won by Lef Seller's launch—but the marquee eight-oared race ends in a dramatic dead heat with Clifford High after oarsman "Jonsey" collapses from exhaustion near the finish, forcing a rematch the following Saturday. Riding home afterward, Frank is ambushed and bound by Martin and Joey, the jewel thieves, who scheme to raid the police safe; he escapes and is rescued when a cross-country "paper chase" of schoolboys arrives, capturing the pair with Frank's help just as Chief Hogg's men close in. Meanwhile Lef Seller strands Frank's sister Helen and her friend Minnie on an island by sinking their boat, but Lanky Wallace—having sworn vengeance and identified Lef's launch by telltale green paint from the earlier collision—ambushes and thrashes Lef, commandeering his boat as proof and retribution. The book closes as the rematch begins: with Ginger Harper replacing the weak-hearted Jonsey, Columbia's shell pulls steadily ahead of Clifford on the deciding run down the Harrapin, setting up the crew's apparent triumph after a summer of sabotage, theft, and rivalry.

By Graham B. Forbes · First published 1911 · Genre: Young Adult Adventure, Sports Fiction, Coming of Age · 24 chapters · 57,453 words

First lines

"I call it a punk boat, Frank, to go back on us like this!"

"Well, it does seem a bit rough, Lanky, that's a fact."

Genres

Tags

juvenile fiction · adventure · school story · boarding school · high school students · friendship · teamwork · outdoor adventure · river journey · boating · canoeing · sports

What this Textopian page supports

The Boys of Columbia High on the River is listed on Textopian as a novel by Graham B. Forbes, dated 1911 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

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Contents

More by Graham B. Forbes