famous gladiators in the arena waiting to battle before a Nero, who by
the crook of his thumb, either up or down, would seal their fate
eventually one way or the other.

Then all at once there was a sudden concerted movement, every one of
the players leaping into life; and from that moment on there would be
something constantly doing.




CHAPTER XI

THE STRUGGLE ON THE GRIDIRON



When the struggle first began it looked as though the veteran
Marshall players meant to smother their lighter opponents by means of
the sheer force of their attack. They immediately carried the ball
over into Chester's side of the field, and there was danger of a
touchdown before the game had been in progress five minutes.

During this period the Chester spectators sat with a numb feeling
clutching their hearts, though they tried their best to assume a
confidence they could hardly feel. Their boys were really novices at
the business, and it was to be expected, they reasoned, trying to
bolster up their waning courage, that at first things would hit the
Chester line hard. But just wait a bit, until they began to recover
their wind, and Jack Winters was given a fair chance to unmask some of