"Unless he can control it, it will be all the worse for him."
"I don"t know. You can"t tell what he will do."
"Don"t let it worry you."
"But you do not profess to be away up in fighting and that fellow can fight like a tiger."
"All the same, I shall do my best to give him a lively go."
Creighton was worried, and he did not get over it quickly. In his heart he feared that Frank would get so much the worst of it that he would be regarded with derision, and he had bragged a great deal about Merriwell as an all-around athlete.
Diamond was not worried at all. He had the utmost confidence in Frank, and he seemed elated to think Merry was about to get at Hegner.
It did not take Frank long to strip and get into Charlie"s suit. Then the three came forth and found Hegner waiting for them.
The fellows present had gathered around, and it was the almost universal opinion that Hegner would make short work of the fellow from Yale.
Frank looked handsome in the sparring suit. He was neither too stocky nor too thin, but was graceful and supple, with a figure that aroused the envy of many a lad who looked him over then.
"This is to be a friendly bout, Mr. Hegner," he said, as he accepted the gloves which were pa.s.sed to him. "We are not to attempt to murder each other."
"Oh, not at all!" said the other, with a crafty twinkle in his eye.
"There is not much danger of murder with such gloves as these."
When the gloves were carefully put on, they faced each other and shook hands, after which they were at it quickly.
Hegner danced away and came in with a bewildering rush, which was avoided with ease by Frank, who gave him a light body blow as he pa.s.sed.
Like a cat Wallace came about and was after Merriwell again. They sparred a moment, and Hegner tried to get in with a feint and a straight left-hand drive for the face. He put all his force into the blow, and it would have been a stunner had it landed; but Frank guarded with his right and countered with his left, sending Hegner staggering backward.
At the very outset Merriwell had the best of it, much to the surprise of those who had expected Hegner to "walk into him with a rush." They looked at each other, and then said over and over that there would be a sudden change.
Wallace seemed a bit dazed by the reception he had received, and he ground his teeth with anger. He did not delay about coming to the scratch, however, and the bout went on.
After a little sparring, both led for the face, neither guarding, and both blows told. Then, like a flash, Hegner dropped under and tried to uppercut Frank, thinking to do this before Merry could recover.
The Yale lad went back with a bound, and Hegner found nothing but air.
In another instant Frank came in again, and they were at it with fresh fury.
Again both led at the face with their left, but both ducked, and, with crossed arms, their fists shot over each other"s shoulder. They got away instantly, and Hegner followed Frank up, apparently determined to press the battle.
"If he gets Heg angry, he"ll be sorry," declared one of the club members. "The fur will fly."
Diamond, who seldom laughed, laughed now.
"If Mr. Hegner knows what is good for him, he"ll hold his temper," he said. "If he loses it, Frank Merriwell will play with him."
"Rats!" was the return. "Mr. Merriwell won"t melt things, if he is from Yale. He"s not the only shirt in the laundry; he can be done up."
"You may be right, but Wallace Hegner hasn"t the starch to do the job."
"Wait and see."
For some moments the boxers sparred craftily, feeling for an opening, and then Hegner pushed things again. But his leads were met or dodged, and he received several sharp raps in return. One of his swinging blows came near landing, and it would have knocked Frank down had it reached.
It was plain enough that all Hegner wanted was a good opportunity to strike Merriwell with every bit of force at his command. He tried the trick repeatedly, and the look of rage increased in his eyes as each attempt was a failure.
"Merriwell is cleverer than I fancied he would be," admitted one of the club members; "but he can"t last. Hegner will get him on the run after a while."
A lead with Hegner"s left brought a sharp cross-counter from Merriwell, and the tap set the head of the young trainer ringing. He tried to get in with his right, and, instead of retreating a bit, was met with a right-hand cross-counter. Then he made a savage effort to uppercut with his left, but Frank ducked to the right and gave him a wind-killer under the heart.
Then it was seen that Hegner was fast losing his temper. He did his best to get Merriwell"s head under his arm, but simply succeeded in receiving a tap on the nose that made the blood run freely.
Hegner would have gone on fighting with the blood streaming down over his mouth, but several fellows jumped in and stopped the bout for the time, declaring that he must wash up.
"I know nothing has been said about rounds, but this is enough for the first one," said Creighton.
"Steady, Heg, old man!" warned Burk, as he got hold of the excited fellow. "You are losing your head and giving him all the best of it.
Take a little time to cool off, and you will be better off for it, my boy."
So Hegner was led away to wash off the blood, but he called to Frank that he would return and finish the bout.
With the exception of Hodge and Diamond, nearly every one of the spectators was astonished by what he had seen. It was evident that Frank had much the best of the battle thus far, but still they could not bring themselves to believe he was a more scientific man than the trainer of Hank Burk. Hegner would redeem himself quickly enough in the next round, they were sure.
Frank was quite cool, smiling a bit as he pulled off the gloves and stood talking with Diamond and Hodge. But most remarkable of anything, although, with the possible exception of Frank, those who saw it did not know it, was the fact that there was a smile on the faces of both Bart Hodge and Jack Diamond. A smile was something remarkably rare for the face of either, and never before had they been known to smile both at the same time.
"Oh, this is great-simply great!" muttered Hodge. "Wonder if he isn"t beginning to think I knew what I was talking about when I said you could knock the packing out of him?"
"Oh, if you had on anything but those soft gloves!" said Diamond. "But you want to keep your eyes open. Some of his blows are wicked. They"d shake you up bad if they landed."
"Have you seen any of them land yet?" asked Merry, in his quiet way.
"Not yet; and that"s why I"m happy. This is going to be the biggest surprise that ever struck the Fairmount Athletic Club."
Hegner came hurrying back, with his companions trailing at his heels. He had succeeded in stopping the flow of blood very quickly, and now he was palpitating to be at Merriwell again.
"Come on!" he cried. "Let"s settle this thing! I haven"t got warmed up yet."
"Give it to him, Merry!" cried Hodge.
"Crowd him this time!" whispered Diamond.
Again the lads faced each other. They began sparring slowly, Hegner making an effort to control his temper. He led at Frank a number of times, but Merry broke ground quickly each time, and it began to look as if he had resolved to hold off and keep away from Hegner. Wallace decided this was so, and attempted to press the tussle.
Right there he made his mistake. Merriwell had been trying to lead him on, and the effort was successful. One of the trainer"s rushes was met as if Frank had been nailed to the floor, and Hegner was sent spinning backward with two well-directed blows, catching his heels and sitting down heavily on the floor.
Somebody laughed outright.
Almost frothing at the mouth, the fallen fellow leaped to his feet. For a moment he stood glaring at Frank, and then, with a cry of rage, he threw off both gloves and leaped forward!