Glengarry Schooldays [77]
furious attack upon Hughie.
"It was a deliberate trip, as well as a savage swipe at a man's shins when the ball was not near."
At once Jimmie Ben gave him the lie, and throwing down his club, slammed his cap upon the ice and proceeded to execute a war-dance about it.
For a few moments there was a great uproar, and then the master's voice was heard again addressing the umpire.
"I want to know your ruling upon this, Mr. Umpire"; and somehow his voice commanded a perfect stillness.
"Well," said the umpire, hesitating, "of course--if a man trips it is foul play, but--I did not see any tripping. And of course-- swiping at a man's shins is not allowed, although sometimes--it can't very well be helped in a scrimmage."
"I merely want to call your attention to it," said the master. "My understanding of our arrangements, Mr. Munro," he said, addressing the Front captain, "is that we are here to play shinny. You have come up here, I believe, to win the game by playing shinny, and we are here to prevent you. If you have any other purpose, or if any of your men have any other purpose, we would be glad to know it now, for we entered this game with the intention of playing straight, clean shinny."
"That's right!" called out Hec Ross; "that's what we're here for." And his answer was echoed on every side, except by Jimmie Ben, who continued to bluster and offer fight.
"O, shut your gab!" finally said Farquhar Bheg, impatiently. "If you want to fight, wait till after the game is done."
"Here's your cap, Jimmie," piped a thin, little voice. "You'll take cold in your head." It was little French Fusie, holding up Jimmie's cap on the end of his shinny club, and smiling with the utmost good nature, but with infinite impudence, into Jimmie's face.
At once there was a general laugh at Jimmie Ben's expense, who with a growl, seized his cap, and putting it on his head, skated off to his place.
"Now," said Hughie, calling his men together for a moment, "let us crowd them hard, and let's give the master every chance we can."
"No," said the master, "they are waiting for me. Suppose you leave Dan to me for a while. You go up and play your forward combination. They are not paying so much attention to you. Make the attack from your wing."
At the drop Dan secured the ball, and followed by Fusie, flew up the center with one of the Reds on either hand. Immediately the master crossed to meet him, checked him hard, and gave Fusie a chance, who, seizing the ball, passed far up to Hughie on the right.
Immediately the Twentieth forward line rushed, and by a beautiful hit of combined play, brought the ball directly before the Front goal, when Don, holding it for a moment till Hughie charged in upon Farquhar Bheg, shot, and scored.
The result of their combination at once inspired the Twentieth team with fresh confidence, and proved most disconcerting to their opponents.
"That's the game, boys," said the master, delightedly. "Keep your heads, and play your positions." And so well did the forward line respond that for the next ten minutes the game was reduced to a series of attacks upon the Front goal, and had it not been for the dashing play of their captain and the heavy checking of the Front defense, the result would have been most disastrous to them.
Meantime, the Twentieth supporters, lined along either edge, became more and more vociferous as they began to see that their men were getting the game well into their own hands. That steady, cool, systematic play of man to man was something quite new to those accustomed to the old style of game, and aroused the greatest enthusiasm.
Gradually the Front were forced to fall back into their territory, and to play upon the defensive, while the master and Johnnie Big Duncan, moving up toward the center, kept their forward line so strongly supported, and checked so effectually any attempts to break through, that thick and fast the shots fell upon the enemy's goal.
There remained only fifteen minutes to play. The hard pace was beginning to tell upon the
"It was a deliberate trip, as well as a savage swipe at a man's shins when the ball was not near."
At once Jimmie Ben gave him the lie, and throwing down his club, slammed his cap upon the ice and proceeded to execute a war-dance about it.
For a few moments there was a great uproar, and then the master's voice was heard again addressing the umpire.
"I want to know your ruling upon this, Mr. Umpire"; and somehow his voice commanded a perfect stillness.
"Well," said the umpire, hesitating, "of course--if a man trips it is foul play, but--I did not see any tripping. And of course-- swiping at a man's shins is not allowed, although sometimes--it can't very well be helped in a scrimmage."
"I merely want to call your attention to it," said the master. "My understanding of our arrangements, Mr. Munro," he said, addressing the Front captain, "is that we are here to play shinny. You have come up here, I believe, to win the game by playing shinny, and we are here to prevent you. If you have any other purpose, or if any of your men have any other purpose, we would be glad to know it now, for we entered this game with the intention of playing straight, clean shinny."
"That's right!" called out Hec Ross; "that's what we're here for." And his answer was echoed on every side, except by Jimmie Ben, who continued to bluster and offer fight.
"O, shut your gab!" finally said Farquhar Bheg, impatiently. "If you want to fight, wait till after the game is done."
"Here's your cap, Jimmie," piped a thin, little voice. "You'll take cold in your head." It was little French Fusie, holding up Jimmie's cap on the end of his shinny club, and smiling with the utmost good nature, but with infinite impudence, into Jimmie's face.
At once there was a general laugh at Jimmie Ben's expense, who with a growl, seized his cap, and putting it on his head, skated off to his place.
"Now," said Hughie, calling his men together for a moment, "let us crowd them hard, and let's give the master every chance we can."
"No," said the master, "they are waiting for me. Suppose you leave Dan to me for a while. You go up and play your forward combination. They are not paying so much attention to you. Make the attack from your wing."
At the drop Dan secured the ball, and followed by Fusie, flew up the center with one of the Reds on either hand. Immediately the master crossed to meet him, checked him hard, and gave Fusie a chance, who, seizing the ball, passed far up to Hughie on the right.
Immediately the Twentieth forward line rushed, and by a beautiful hit of combined play, brought the ball directly before the Front goal, when Don, holding it for a moment till Hughie charged in upon Farquhar Bheg, shot, and scored.
The result of their combination at once inspired the Twentieth team with fresh confidence, and proved most disconcerting to their opponents.
"That's the game, boys," said the master, delightedly. "Keep your heads, and play your positions." And so well did the forward line respond that for the next ten minutes the game was reduced to a series of attacks upon the Front goal, and had it not been for the dashing play of their captain and the heavy checking of the Front defense, the result would have been most disastrous to them.
Meantime, the Twentieth supporters, lined along either edge, became more and more vociferous as they began to see that their men were getting the game well into their own hands. That steady, cool, systematic play of man to man was something quite new to those accustomed to the old style of game, and aroused the greatest enthusiasm.
Gradually the Front were forced to fall back into their territory, and to play upon the defensive, while the master and Johnnie Big Duncan, moving up toward the center, kept their forward line so strongly supported, and checked so effectually any attempts to break through, that thick and fast the shots fell upon the enemy's goal.
There remained only fifteen minutes to play. The hard pace was beginning to tell upon the