Not another word was heard. Again they cheered, drowning his voice. He waited for them to stop. They stopped.
"'Rah! 'rah! 'rah! Whooper up! whooper up! 'Rah! 'rah! 'rah!"
Danny waited again. Now he felt that he wanted to make a speech. He was determined to make a speech.
He couldn't get beyond "is," and he was growing disgusted. He longed for a fireman's hose and good head of water.
As they began to cheer all at once, they stopped all together.
It was no use. The mere sound of his voice seemed to arouse them to the wildest enthusiasm. He shook his fist at them.
"Go to thunder!" he screamed, getting black in the face.
But they laughed and cheered so he could not hear the sound of his own voice.
Some fellows found Frank and carried him around and around the fire. They tried to induce him to get on the box in Danny's place, and say something, but he was too shrewd to try that, even if he had wished to do so.
Sport Harris, holding aloof, his heart sour with disappointment and disgust, saw a fellow swinging himself along on crutches, but refraining from taking any part in the celebration.
"It's Marline," thought Sport. "He must be somewhat sore himself."
Then he approached and spoke to the unlucky student, who had lost the opportunity to play full-back when he sprained his ankle.
"Hello, Marline!" called Harris. "Why aren't you whooping her up with the others?"
Marline looked at him in doubt, and then remembered that Harris and Merriwell had never been good friends.
"Why should I celebrate?" he asked, sourly.
"Yes, and I sat where I could see the fellow who filled my place secure the opportunities to win, which must have been mine had I played."
"It was hard luck for you to be knocked out in such a manner."
"Hard luck! It was beastly! But it was worse luck to have that fellow, Merriwell, run into the game and get all the opportunities to cover himself with glory."
"Any fellow fit for the position could have done the same thing."
"How about carrying three men on his back the way Merriwell did?"
"Everybody seems to think it was a great trick."
"It was nothing, I tell you. Those Harvard chumps tackled him in the most foolish manner possible. Not one of them tried to get low down on him, but all piled upon his back."