A great mob of freshmen was up from New Haven to see the game and watch Merriwell’s work, and some of them immediately expressed disappointment and dismay.

“Here is where Merriwell meets his Waterloo,” said Sport Harris.  “He’ll be batted out before the game is fairly begun.”

That was quite enough to arouse Rattleton, who heard the remark.

“I’ll bet you ten dollars he isn’t batted out at all,"’ spluttered Harry, fiercely.  “Here’s my money, too!”

“Make it twenty-five and I will go you,” drawled Harris.

“All right, I’ll make it twenty-five.”

The money was staked.

Derry, also a heavy hitter, was second on Harvard’s list.  Derry had a bat that was as long and as large as the regulations would permit, and as heavy as lead; yet, despite the weight of the stick, the strapping Vermonter handled it as if it were a feather.

Frank sent up a coaxer, but Derry refused to be coaxed.  The second ball was high, but Derry cracked it for two bags, and Hinkley got around to third.

It began to seem as if Merriwell would be batted out in the first inning, and the Yale crowd looked weary and disgusted at the start.

The next batter fouled out, however, and the next one sent a red-hot liner directly at Merriwell.  There was no time to get out of the way, so Frank caught it, snapped the ball to third, found Hinkley off the bag, and retired the side without a score.

This termination of the first half of the inning was so swift and unexpected that it took some seconds for the spectators to realize what had happened.  When they did, however, Yale was wildly cheered.

“What do you think about it now, Harris?” demanded Harry, exultantly.

“I think Merriwell saved his neck by a dead lucky catch,” was the answer.  “If he had missed that ball he would have been removed within five minutes.”

Pierson, who was sitting on the bench, was looking doubtful, and he held a consultation with Costigan, captain of the team, as soon as the latter came in from third base.

Costigan asked Frank how he felt, and Merriwell replied that he had never felt better in his life, so it was decided to let him see what he could do in the box the next inning.

Yedding, who was in the box for Harvard, could not have been in better condition, and the first three Yale men to face him went out in one-two-three order, making the first inning a whitewash for both sides.

As Merriwell went into the box the second time there were cries for Heffiner, who was on the bench, ready to pitch if forced to do so, for all of the fact that it might ruin his arm forever, so far as ball playing was concerned.

In trying to deceive the first man up Merriwell gave him three balls in succession.  Then he was forced to put them over.  He knew the batter would take one or two, and so he sent two straight, swift ones directly over, and two strikes were called.