several moments, Jerry watched the strange play of his opponents – for they had left their positions uncovered; then it dawned on him what their purpose was and he charged down to Harry’s rescue, at the same time shouting:
“Shoot it across, Watson! Shoot it across!”
With a deft twist of his wrist, Harry sent the rubber spinning over the ice just in front of Socker and his players.
But instead of checking themselves and going after it, they continued straight at the new student.
Surprised, but believing that their speed was such that they were unable to turn quickly, Harry grinned at them, wheeled on his right skate with a suddenness that would have done a professional proud, and sought to go around them.
Clever as was his move, however, it came too late.
With terrific force, Socker, Elmer and another boy crashed into him – and as they all went down, there was a resounding whack.
“Pretty raw work, Craven!” snapped Jerry, as he caught the richest boy in Rivertown High School by the collar and jerked him off the pile.
“What do you mean?”
Jerry, however, was too engrossed in the task of getting the others off Harry to reply.
But when he had succeeded, the new high school scholar lay on his back, motionless.
CHAPTER IV – HARRY SHOWS HIS GRIT
Abashed at the sight of the boy lying white and still on the ice, the other hockey players gazed at one another.
“He’s shamming!” growled Elmer.
“You know better than that!” retorted Jerry.
“What do you mean?”
“That you and Socker deliberately ran into Watson – and you know it as well as I do!”
“I saw Socker give him the knee!” interposed Paul.
Intense was the feeling between the two teams, and instinctively the boys who had been playing lined up with their respective captains. But before the argument became more bitter, Harry opened his eyes, gazed about him in a dazed manner, and then sat up.
“Got a bit of a knock, didn’t I?” he smiled. “I say, did I score a goal?”
At the question, all the boys turned to look toward the net of Socker’s team, having forgotten in their excitement to notice where the puck had gone.
“Jove, but you did!” cried Paul. “Good boy, Harry!”
Instantly the other members of the team with which Harry was playing took up the cry and Elmer and his companions skated away to hide their chagrin.
“Here comes Longback; we can put him in, and you can get out of the game!” exclaimed Paul, helping Harry to his feet.
“Not much – that is, if you are willing I should keep on playing,” returned Harry. “I’m all right now; and I should like to show those other fellows that I’m not a pillow!”
“But can you stand the handling?” asked Jerry, anxiously.
“Leave it to me – I’m no rag-doll,” retorted Harry. “If they are up to any tricks, I know a thing or two!”
The gameness of the new student appealed to all the members of the team on which he was playing, and without further comment they lined up for the next play.
Surprised to see Harry still in the line-up, Socker skated over to Elmer and held a brief consultation with him, but their whisperings were interrupted by the puck being put into play.
As luck would have it, the rubber was sent straight toward Elmer and, with a clever stop, he dribbled it along toward Harry, evidently thinking that he would be able to pass him easily because of his seemingly dazed condition.
But Harry realized his purpose and, with a burst of speed, he rushed in, snatched the puck, steadied his stick – and then drove it spinning toward the goal net, sending it past the tender.
“Good boy!” shouted his team-mates. And the cheer was immediately taken up by the boys and girls who had gathered to watch the game.
Smarting more under the thought that the fellow they had sought to humiliate had succeeded in turning the tables against them than in the fact that their opponents had scored two goals, Socker called his men about him.
“Play for Watson!” he cried through clenched teeth. “That fellow’s got to have his big head taken off him!”
“Ready!” called the lad who was acting as umpire; and with set teeth, Socker’s men took their positions.
Straight and true for the goal Paul sent the puck, but Snooks checked it just in time to prevent another score, and cleverly Elmer took the rubber through the opposing players until only Harry stood between him and the man at the net.
Gritting his teeth, the new member of the Rivertown High School determined to show that he was an offensive as well as a defensive player. With a terrific rush, he bore down on Elmer Craven, and with a sudden twist of his stick, tripped the fellow, grabbed the rubber, dribbled it out of reach, then sent it spinning with a force that drove it through the net!
Loud were the shouts from the onlookers – but Elmer lay still and quiet.
“You hit him in the head with your stick!” growled Socker, starting toward Harry.
“Nonsense! I play a clean game! Leave it to me – I’ll bring him round in a jiffy!”
And while the others stood inactive, Harry scraped up some ice with his skate and rubbed the shavings on Craven’s face.
“Who’s doing that?” demanded the boy, sitting up.
But his only answer was a general laugh.
“Everybody ready, puck’s going to be put in play!” shouted the umpire, and without delay, the boys took their positions.
“You want to watch out, the whole team will be down on you this time!” warned Jerry to Harry, but the lad only laughed.
“I reckon I can give them as good as they send,” he replied. “It just took me a few minutes to get onto their game. I – ”
But his words were interrupted by the play.
While Snooks caught the rubber and started back with it, all the other members of the team bore down on Harry.
Not seeming to notice them, the boy hurried to the assistance of the goal tender, his pursuers in full cry. Then, with a suddenness that caused the scholars on the side lines to gasp, Harry turned, shoved his stick between the skates of the fellow nearest him, and sent him sprawling on the ice, causing the others to fall on top of him.
Loud was the laughter that rose from the boys and girls who were not in the game, while Jerry and Paul patted Harry on the back.
But several of the instructors happened to be among the spectators and, realizing that the game would soon be beyond the bounds of sport, they intervened.
“Vhy not ve all go and get kindling voods for a bonfire dis efening?” shouted Prof. Schmidt, the genial German professor.
“Yes! Yes! Get wood for a bonfire!” cried the boys and girls on the side lines; and forgetful of the hockey game, they skated across the ice, effectually putting an end to the contest.
CHAPTER V – THE RACE ON SKATES
In thorough good humor on account of their winning the hockey game, Paul and Jerry called Harry, and together they started up the river to where a big pile of brush lay on the bank.
In full cry, a score or more of the other boys and girls, among whom were Viola and Nettie, set after them, calling to them to wait. But the three boys only checked their speed slightly.
“Come on. A race for the brush-pile,” shouted Longback. “I’ll wager hot soda for the bunch of us that I’ll be the first one to reach it.”
“You’re