aid that you'd go bad simply because
you didn't have Prescott to go up against. For a good many days
that very fact seemed to prey upon your mind and make you indifferent."

"Danny boy, I am going to play my mightiest, just because Prescott
isn't with the Army!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I'm going to make the West Point fellows most abominably
sorry that they didn't have Dick Prescott on their eleven. And
you want to stand with me in that, Danny boy. Keep hammering
the Army to-day, and with every blow just think it's another blow
struck for Dick Prescott and Greg Holmes. Oh, we'll trim West
Point in their joint name!"

CHAPTER XIII

WHEN "BRACE UP, ARMY!" WAS THE WORD

"All out for practice!" called Wolgast.

Team men and subs. bunched, the Navy players trotted on to the
field, amid a tempest of wild cheering.

No sooner had Dave Darrin halted for an instant, when he broke
into a whirlwind of sprinting speed. Dan Dalzell tried to keep
up with him, but found it impossible.

"Good old Darry!" yelled a hoarse voice from one of the grandstands.
"That's the way you'll go around the end to-day!"

Some of the other Navy players were kicking a ball back and forth.
The Army team was not yet on the field, but it came, a few moments
later, and received a tremendous ovation from its own solid ranks
of rooters.

This time Darrin barely glanced at any of the Army players. He
knew that Prescott and Holmes were not there. Whoever else might
be, he was not interested.

Only a very few minutes were allowed for practice. During this
exercise the Army and Navy bands played alternately.

Then the referee signaled the bands to stop.

Tril-l-l-l! sounded the whistle, and Army and Navy captains trotted
to the center of the field to watch the toss of the coin. Wolgast
won, and awarded the kick-off to the Army.

Then the teams jogged quickly to places, and in an instant all
was in readiness.

Over the spectators' seats a hush had fallen. Even the Army and
Navy cheer leaders looked nearly as solemn as owls. The musicians
of the two bands lounged in their seats and instruments had been
laid aside. There would be no more noise until one team or the
other had started to do real things.

Quick and sharp came the signal. West Point kicked and the ball
was in play.

Navy's quarterback, after a short run, placed himself to seize
the arching pigskin out of the air. Then he ran forward, prot