edge is now no longer tolerated in football,
there are other plays evolved from it, and the signal called for
one. Edgeworth himself formed the point of the wedge.

"Freshies in the center!" he bawled back lustily.

As the High School crowd rushed around the corner, giving their
vocal chords full play, Dick and his chums were hustled inside
of the inverted "V" formation.

It was a human battering ram that launched itself into the
lane---filling that narrow passage, choking it.

One of the bank robbers was still on the lookout duty. At the
first sound he had drawn his revolver, prepared to shoot right
and left. But this avalanche of torsos, arms and legs was more
than the fellow had bargained for.

If it be true that a community can't be indicted, then it is still
truer that a community can't be murdered. The armed rascal gasped
at the magnitude of his task of defense.

In another second he had been bowled clean over off his feet,
and a half a dozen seniors were reaching for his weapon.

As Dick Prescott and his chums got out of the wedge they made
a dash for the automobile.

At that same instant the air bore to them the battle-yell of juniors
and sophs at the front of the bank.

The rear door of the building was yanked hastily open. Two masked
men shot the rays of their bulls-eye lanterns out into the lane,
while their right hands held revolvers.

Bang-bang! Bang-bang!

The rear door slammed, the robbers retreating behind that barrier.

In the first moment the High School boys themselves were a good
deal startled, though they didn't make any effort to run.

Then the news pulsed swiftly through the senior crowd. The noise
hadn't come from pistols. Dick & Co. had shut off any possibility
of automobile flight by falling upon the tires with their pocket
knives. Any robbers that could bluff their way through the crowd
and start the engine would have to hobble along on flat tires!

The rear lookout of the robber band was now a safe prisoner in
the hands of four stalwart seniors. Ben Badger had the fellow's
revolver.

Out in front of the bank the juniors and sophs held the enemy
at bay inside. The lookout, after trying to hold up the rush
at the point of the pistol, had turned without firing, and had
tried to get away. But four of the juniors had sprinted after
him and caught him.

Thus the forces stood. Inside the bank building were at least
two of the robbers, armed and presumably desperat