e him
dizzy!"

"Get back from the plate!" rasped Bender, as Barney took his position.
"Get back, or you'll get hit!"

"Hit him if he crowds," came from Holmes; "but don't kill him. You know
you killed one man last year and broke another man's jaw."

"Go ahead and hit him," came from Clover. "He's Irish, and you can't
kill him."

Frank Merriwell's eyes began to gleam with a peculiar light and his lips
tightened.

"They fancy they're up against a lot of youngsters they can intimidate,"
he thought. "They mean to frighten us at the start."

Again Bender motioned for Mulloy to move back from the plate.

"Pitch the ball, me fri'nd--pitch the ball," said Barney. "Oi'm in me
box, and I'll shtand here."

An instant later Bender delivered the ball, deliberately snapping a
swift one straight at Mulloy.

Barney might have dropped to the ground and thus avoided being hit, but,
instead of doing so, he leaned far forward, with his left shoulder
advanced and his right shoulder held well back. In this manner he
escaped being hit fairly by the ball, which glanced from the back of his
right shoulder.

"Take your base!" called Carker promptly.

Instantly there was a howl of protestation from the crowd back of first
base.

McCann made a rush at Carker.

"Call him back!" snarled the captain of the Rovers. "He didn't try to
dodge that ball! He didn't try to get out of the way!"

"The pitcher hit him deliberately," said Greg calmly. "He was threatened
before the ball was pitched. Get back into your position."

McCann placed his hands on his hips and glared at Carker.

"Who are ye tellin' to git back?" he rasped. "Do ye know who ye're
talkin' to, young feller?"

"I'm talking to you," said Greg, in the same calm manner. "If you don't
get back in your position and play the game, I'll put you on the bench."

"What?" shouted the Irishman. "Put me on the bench--you put me on the
bench? I'd like to see you do it!"

Greg pulled out his watch.

"I'll give you just thirty seconds to get into your position and go on
with this game," he said.

"If you put me on the bench, I'll take my team off the field!"
threatened McCann.

"And I'll forfeit the game to the home team," retorted Carker. "Twenty
seconds. You have ten seconds more."

McCann turned and retreated to his position, growling and muttering in
an ugly manner.

"Play ball, boys!" he called. "We can win the game, even if the umpire
is against us!"

Basil Bearover