"When he had let Strachan through that second time, in the second half.
I asked him why on earth he tried to play footer at all. I told him a
good kiss-in-the-ring club was about his form. It was rather cheap, but
I felt so frightfully sick about it. It's sickening to be let down like
that when you've been pressing the whole time, and ought to be scoring
every other minute."

"What had he to say on the subject?" asked Clowes.

"Oh, he gassed a bit until I told him I'd kick him if he said another
word. That shut him up."

"You ought to have kicked him. You want all the kicking practice you
can get. I never saw anything feebler than that shot of yours after
Drummond's try."

"I'd like to see _you_ take a kick like that. It was nearly on the
touch-line. Still, when we play you, we shan't need to convert any of
our tries. We'll get our thirty points without that. Perhaps you'd like
to scratch?"

"As a matter of fact," said Clowes confidentially, "I am going to score
seven tries against you off my own bat. You'll be sorry you ever turned
out when we've finished with you."




XII