Dismal Jones came forth from the car. He was holding a handkerchief to his eyes and pretending to weep.
This brought a shout of delight, and some one yelled back:
"Weep for poor old Harvard. She needs it."
Then Capt. Forrest of the eleven appeared.
A mighty roar went up the moment he was seen. It was a great shout of admiration and welcome. It brought a hot flush of satisfaction to his cheeks, and he stood bowing and smiling on the platform.
"What"s the matter with Forrest?" shrieked a voice, when the noise lulled somewhat.
"He"s a lulu!" shrieked another voice.
"He"s all right--he is!" roared the crowd.
Then they cheered for him in the regular manner.
Each player was received with an ovation as he came out of the car, and they must have felt themselves well repaid for their weeks of hard training and practice.
Frank Merriwell was nearly the last one to show himself. The crowd had been waiting for him.
What a shout went up! The torches flared, and it seemed that the very stars quivered with the volume of sound.
"Merriwell! Merriwell! Merriwell!" roared the vast throng.
Roar! roar! roar! It seemed that they would never stop. It was an ovation that might have pleased a monarch.
Frank would have been less than human had he not thrilled with satisfaction as he heard them cheering him thus. He took off his cap and bowed again and again. He tried to descend from the steps and mingle with the throng, but some of them held him back. They seemed to want him up there where they could look at him.
It was some time before the cheering subsided. At last, somebody began to shout:
"Speech! speech! speech!"
Frank shook his head, but it was useless. They were determined he should say something. He saw he could not escape, so he held up one hand.
Silence fell on the great crowd beneath the torchlights.
Then Frank spoke--a single sentence:
"Every man of us did his level best for dear old Yale!"
That was enough. They went mad again, and again they roared till they were hoa.r.s.e. They cheered for Yale, they cheered for Forrest, they cheered for Merriwell. Of everything for which they cheered, Merriwell created the greatest enthusiasm.
Then he was lifted from the steps and carried away on the shoulders of his admirers, while the mob swarmed after him.
The band got out and formed to head the parade of triumph. The crowd of students fell in behind. The band struck up, and away they went, with the Yale eleven close behind them.
Great crowds had turned out to witness the spectacle, knowing the students meant to give their victorious team a rousing reception. All along the line the spectators cheered and waved hats, flags and handkerchiefs.
A committee had raised a fund for fireworks, and Roman candles began to pop up b.a.l.l.s of fire, while rockets went whizzing into the air from the head of the procession.
No one interfered with the rejoicing students. It was their night, and the city fathers remained in the background and permitted them to have a glorious time.
Some of the business places were prepared for their appearance with illuminated windows. All New Haven seemed delighted.
This year every one had seemed to expect Harvard would "wipe up the gridiron" with Yale, and this victory was so unexpected that it set the people wild with delight.
All along the line the students sang and cheered. Now and then the band could be heard pounding away industriously.
In this manner they marched to the college grounds. As they drew near the college, Browning suddenly descended on the trombone player and captured his horn.
That was a signal for a general rush upon the band by the boys, and, within three minutes, every instrument was in the hands of a Yale student.
Some of the boys could play on the instruments they captured, and some could simply make a noise.
"Attention!" roared Browning, who seemed to have awakened from the lethargy that had been on him so long, and was once more a leader in a genuine racket. "We will play the "Star-Spangled Banner." All ready! Let her rip!"
They played! Such a wild medley of sounds never was heard before. Puss Parker had a cornet, and he was playing the air of the "Star Spangled Banner," while Browning was putting in the variations with the trombone.
But the others played anything they could think of and some things they could not think of! "John Brown"s Body," "Yankee Doodle," "Marching Through Georgia," "Suwanee River," and "Hail Columbia," were some of the tunes that mingled in that medley. Those who could not play anything at all added to the hideous din by making the captured horns bleat forth horrible sounds. Bink Stubbs had secured the ba.s.s drumstick, and the way he hammered the big drum was a caution. He did his best to break in the head--and finally succeeded!
In this manner the rejoicing students marched right in upon the campus, regardless of policemen, professors, rules or regulations.
CHAPTER XLI.
A CONTRAST IN ENEMIES.
It was a wild night on the Yale campus. Even the worst old "grind" in the college came out and looked on while the hilarious students made merry, even if he did not join in the riotous proceedings.
A bonfire was built. Once there had been rules prohibiting such fires, but of what use were rules now! Boxes, barrels, lumber, fencing, almost anything that would make a blaze was brought in and heaped up there. It was done in a rush in a manner that showed all preparations had been made in advance, although the combustible material had not been piled up till the time arrived when the fire was required.
Around the great fire the students with the instruments belonging to the band marched and tooted and sang. Bink Stubbs had knocked in one end of the ba.s.s drum, but he continued to hammer away on the other end, apparently doing his best to break that in also. Bruce Browning "tore off" music and other sounds with the trombone, while Puss Parker astounded those who knew him best by his skill with the cornet, for he really could play at some tunes.
About twenty fellows tied handkerchiefs over their faces, turned their coats, and attempted to rush the band and capture the instruments.
Then there was war, and the real owners of the instruments looked on in horror, wondering what would become of the horns.
The police were called upon to regain the instruments for the proper owners. A dozen of them attempted to do the trick, but they were not permitted to come onto the campus.
There were rumors of a rush. It was reported that the freshmen were coming out with canes.
But the freshmen were not fools, and they knew it was a bad time to bring about a cane rush. They mingled with the rejoicing crowd, but sported no canes.
Some of the band instruments were ruined in the struggle, but a cheap band had been engaged, and the instruments were of poor grade, so the boys did not mind their destruction, although all felt that somebody would have to settle the bill for damages.
Some one placed Danny Griswold on a box and yelled for a speech. Danny never made a speech in his life, but he felt elated, and he started in to say something. The moment he opened his mouth everybody cheered. When they stopped cheering, Danny started again.