Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/188

170 the Oak Hall goal line. There was a furious struggle here, and at last it was snatched up for a safety, just as one of the Rockville players tried his best to cross the line.

"Hurrah, that's better than nothing!" was the cry from the Military Academy boys. "That counts two, anyway." And then they began to cheer, blow their horns, and swing their rattles.

It had taken twenty minutes to make the safety, so fifteen minutes of the first half still remained. The ball was put into play once more without delay, and again it went up and down the field almost as rapidly as before.

"Their team is heavier than ours," said Polly Vane to Dave.

"That is true, but I think our fellows can out-run them," was the answer.

Back and forth went the leather, now for five yards, then for ten, and then for a long run by one of the Oak Hall players, which took it within fifteen yards of the opponents' goal. The Oak Hall followers cheered madly.

"Over with it! Make it a touchdown!"

"Kick it! Make it a goal!"

There was a wild scramble, and then another rush, followed by a mix-up which nobody could describe, afterward.

"A foul! A foul!" cried both sides, and it was hard to get a proper decision. But the