Page:Hugh Pendexter--Tiberius Smith.djvu/130

 doing no real husky work, just staggering along. But as our players became more infuriated, and paused in the game to hold personal altercations, I surrendered my last hope.

"To accentuate our despair, just as we had nearly come to a stand-still, and Rudolph, busy cuffing a native, refused to heed the signals, we lost our left tackle, a promising young player, but a bit hot-headed.

"‘Rudolph! Centre!' again choked Tib.

"And dear, dear! If the old sport didn't turn his red eyes, stop gunning for pelts, grab up the ball, and once more begin to plough ahead. And the other four loyally fell in behind and swung through the big hole he had made in the unsavory mass of alleged humanity. Thus did we come to the water's edge.

"And the enemy seeing the last half had been played, scurried back to the boats somewhere up the coast.

"‘How can we get these five life-preservers aboard?' panted Tib, as he wrung the captain's hand.

"‘Can't do it now,' bawled the captain, dancing in merriment as he nailed a retreating seven-hundred-dollar bunch of furs with a hatchet. 'The wind is again inshore, and we've not a second to lose if we'd save our hides and Liz.'

"So, after all, we had to leave the bears. But