"I think not, or I should have heard him."
"We'll find out about this," said Rowland, emphatically, "but meanwhile the call is on for the tug of war with Princeton. Can you----"
The question was not completed, for Browning, with a wry face, held up his right arm.
His wrist was swollen to almost twice its usual size.
"I couldn't pull a baby," he said, regretfully.
The fellows looked blue, and Hill groaned dismally.
"Rowland," said Frank, in a quick, decisive tone, "go back into the hall and tell the committee of arrangements that our anchor is disabled, and that we shall have to have five minutes to get our substitute in order."
"Who in thunder can you substitute?" asked Hill
"If you can think of anybody else in the college," he said, "who is better qualified than I am to meet this emergency, bring him along."
"No, no!" exclaimed the others in chorus, "you're the man, Frank. This is your event, and the team may win out with you after all."
"It isn't a question of winning out now," he responded, "but of taking our part in the tournament. Go on, Rowland, and when you've spoken to the committee, call for Rattleton, and have him come here in a hurry."
Rowland went away, and then Frank stepped over and lifted Browning into a chair.
"One of you fellows," he said, "find somebody to get a physician. There must be a hundred of them in the audience."
There were several other students not connected with the team about the door at this time, and two or three of them started away at once.
"Now, then, Hill," said Frank, quietly, "let's see what we can do about this rascal that has tried to disable us."
"The rest of you fellows," said Frank, "stay at the door and don't let anybody out."
"Look out for the greased spot," said Bruce, warningly.
Hill and Frank went into the middle of the room, where there was a double line of lockers extending nearly its whole length. There were two windows at the end, one of which was down slightly at the top, the other was closed.
They looked up at it, and then at each other.
"He hasn't gone out," said Frank, confidently, in a low tone. "Try all the lockers."
They started down, one on each side, opening first the doors of closets in which they and their companions had placed their clothes.