The Rover Boys Under Canvas | Page 4

Dum, dum, dum!
Here we come with fife and drum! Colby! Colby! Colby Hall!"
And then followed a great yelling and tooting of horns and sounding of
rattles.
"My gracious! if they keep on I'll surely become deaf," said Martha
Rover.

"I think I had better retire from this game," remarked Walt Baxter, as
he faced the manager. "I told you I didn't feel like going in, and now I
am sure I should have kept out of it."
"All right, Walt. I'll be sorry to lose you," answered Gif. And then he
told Andy Rover to get ready to get into the game.
With a score still 4 to 3 in their favor, Hixley High opened the seventh
inning with vigor. They managed to get a man on first, and then on a
sacrifice advanced him to second. Then came a two-bagger, and the
play made by Colby Hall in the ending of the sixth inning was repeated
by their opponents, thus making the score 5 to 3.
On their part Colby Hall tried its best to score during the seventh, but
was doomed to disappointment.
Then came the eighth inning with a goose egg placed on the board for
each nine.
"Say, this begins to look bad for us," remarked Will Hendry, the fattest
boy at Colby Hall. "It looks as if Hixley High was going to have a
sweet revenge."
In the Hixley High half of the ninth inning Dink Wilsey showed what a
very good all-around player he was. The noted pitcher cracked out a
home run, making the tally with ease. Fortunately this was at a time
when there was no one on base, so that only one run was scored. Two
men were out, and the next player knocked a fly to short, which was
gathered in by Frank Newberry with ease.
"Hurrah! Score another for Hixley High!"
"That makes the score six to three!"
"I guess this game is as good as won!"
So the cries ran on among the high-school scholars and their friends.
The Colby Hall contingent was, of course, much downcast, but they

refused to show it, and once more the slogan of the military academy
boomed forth.
"Now, boys, pull yourselves together and go at 'em hammer and tongs,"
cried Gif Garrison. "Watch the pitcher. Don't let Dink put anything
over you."
Fred Rover was at the bat, and he managed to make a safe hit. He was
followed by a player who made another safe hit, thus advancing Fred to
second. Then came two outs, but in the mix-up Fred managed to steal
to third, while the player on first got down to second. Jack Rover was
now once more to the bat, and all of his friends were yelling at the top
of their lungs for him to "Knock the hide off the ball!" "Send it over the
back fence!" "Show 'em where the other side of the river is!" and to
"Wipe up the field with Hixley High!"
One ball was called, and then a strike. Then came another strike, and
things began to look gloomy for Colby Hall. But then Jack got a ball
exactly where he wanted it, and he swung at it with every ounce of
muscle he could command. Crack! went the bat, and the sphere went
sailing far down in left field.
"That's the way to do it! Run, boys, run!"
"Come on home, Jack!"
Fred, on third, was already streaking for home, and close behind him
came the player who had been on second. In the meanwhile, Jack raced
to first and around to second, and then came plowing up to third.
"Hold it, Rover! Hold it!"
"Come on in--don't wait! Come on in!"
Jack looked down into the field and saw that the fielder was just in the
act of picking up the ball. With a great bound, he started for the home
plate, and when ten feet from that place dropped to the ground and slid
in with the rapidity of lightning.

"He's safe! A home run!"
"That ties the score!"
"Now then, boys, go in and finish 'em up!"
The din and excitement was now tremendous. The score was indeed a
tie. Which club would win?
CHAPTER II
ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS
"Now then, fellows, don't forget to bring in the winning run!"
"Show Hixley High what we can do!"
And then came a rousing cheer from the Colby Hall cadets, and once
more they gave the well-known military academy refrain.
Any ordinary pitcher might have been nervous over the prospect ahead
of him; but Dink Wilsey was not one of that caliber, and he faced the
next batsman as coolly as he had all of the others. Two balls were
called, and then two strikes, and then two more