Dick Prescott's Third Year at West Point Part 21

"Humph! I don't see that Prescott and Holmes are doing so much for us," muttered Haynes to the sub. at his right, as both watched from the side lines.

"Look at what they have to stop," returned the other cadet. "Don't be sore, Haynes; you couldn't do any better.

"Humph!" grumbled the turnback.

It soon developed, however, that Lehigh felt especially strong on its right end. Hence, much of the work seemed to devolve upon d.i.c.k and Greg. For twenty yarns down into Army territory that ball was forced. Then, after a gain of only two more yards, Lehigh was forced to surrender the ball. Army boosters stood up and cheered loudly.

"You've got a tough crowd to get by, Prescott," muttered Brayton.

"But look out for signals."

As Brayton bent over to snap-back, Quarterback Boyle's cool voice sounded:

"Fourteen---eight---nine---three!"

In another instant Boyle had made a running pa.s.s with the ball to Greg, who pa.s.sed it on to d.i.c.k Prescott.

Now all the Army boosters were up in their seats, eager to see how the much-lauded Prescott would serve with the pigskin.

Ball clasped, head down, d.i.c.k settled for a run, his whole gaze on the on-coming Lehigh right line.

They met in a clash. d.i.c.k had planned how to slip out of the impact, but the stronger Lehigh right end had both arms around Prescott, and down went the Army left end.

"Humph!" grunted Haynes, though his tone did not sound displeased

"I hope that isn't a sample of Prescott's skill," muttered one Army captain to another.

"No matter how good a man he is, Prescott should have been in the squad from the outset of the training," replied the other.

Boyle was calling the signal. Breathlessly the larger part of the spectators watched to see d.i.c.k redeem himself.

But again he failed to make much of an advance with the ball.

After the second "down," with barely anything gained, Brayton ordered Boyle to throw the ball over to the right of the Army line.

So, in the next dash, Prescott and Holmes had but little to do.

The Army lost the ball.

Immediately it looked as though Ennis, captain of Lehigh, had heard all about the new Army left end and left tackle, for Lehigh's own st.u.r.dy right end came forward with the ball. d.i.c.k and Greg both dashed furiously at him, but Greg was hurled aside by Lehigh's interference. d.i.c.k, however, held Lehigh's right end dragged the Army man for a yard; then others joined in the melee, and the ball was down.

Lehigh advanced some twenty yards before being compelled to give up the ball. It became more and more plain that the visitors intended forcing the fighting around the Army's left end. At last, however, the Army balked the game, and returned to the attack, trying to regain some of the lost Army territory.

"They're going to pound us, Greg," whispered d.i.c.k in one of the pauses of the game. "We were all right in the High School days, but we're playing with tremendously bigger men now."

Even Brayton began to question his judgment having taken these two men so recently on the team.

"If I had been able to train them from the first, they'd have been all right," muttered the captain of the Army Eleven.

To ease up on Prescott and Holmes, Brayton directed, as often as possible, charges through the center, or right-end rushes.

But almost half of the time Lehigh seemed bent on bearing down the Army's left end. The hard work was beginning to tell on both d.i.c.k and Greg.

Yet it was a long tine, after all, before Lehigh managed to score a touchdown. When the time came, however, the visitors also made their kick for goal, and the score was Lehigh, 6; Army, 0.

"Humph!" remarked Cadet Haynes, for the dozenth time. All his fellow subs. had moved away from him. They were disappointed, but they realized that Prescott and Holmes had entered the game under brilliant promise, yet without training.

Dutifully the cadet cheer-master kept at his work, but now the responses came with less volume from the corps of cadets, who were truly sitting on anxious seats.

In the interval of rest, Lieutenant Carney talked anxiously with Brayton.

"Have we made a mistake in Prescott and Holmes?" asked the coach.

"What do you think, sir!" asked Brayton.

"If we had had that pair in training from the outset," replied the Army officer, "I'm satisfied that they would have made a better showing. Lehigh isn't a particularly strong team, but they have one of the best right-end a.s.saults that I've seen in some time.

It's really too bad that Prescott and Holmes, in their first game, are put against such a strong, clever a.s.sault."

"Well, we can't put Haynes in now, unless Prescott should be injured,"

replied Brayton.

"Haynes?" repeated the Army coach. "I'm glad he's not on your line today. Training and all, Haynes isn't the man to match Prescott, even without training."

Haynes heard, and his face was convulsed with rage as he turned swiftly away.

"Queer how folks take so much stock in that fellow Prescott!"

muttered the turnback. "Why can't a man like Lieutenant Carney see that Prescott is nothing but a dub, while Holmes is only a dub's helper?"

All through the Army seats it was beginning to be felt that the late placing of Prescott and Holmes in the Army had probably been an error.

There were even many who rated Haynes higher than he deserved to be rated, and who believed that the turnback might have done much to save the day.

As it was, the Army had about given up hope. Lehigh was stronger than usual; that was all, except that the Army team appeared to be weaker than in the year before.

The band still played at appropriate moments; the corps of cadets answered every signal for a yell, but Army spirits were drooping fast.

"Greg," muttered d.i.c.k, with a rueful face, "you can wager that we're being roasted by everyone out of earshot!"

CHAPTER XIII

WHEN THE CHEERS BROKE LOOSE

Fifteen minutes left to play.

By this time even the most hopeful spectators had settled down to the conviction that the Army was to lose the game. The most sanguine hoped that the score would not exceed 6 to nothing.

"We're done for on this trip!" muttered Lewis, the Army's right guard.

"No, we're not," retorted d.i.c.k, his eyes flas.h.i.+ng. "We can't lose; that's all there is to it!"