If every sport and business man in this world were as crooked as some folks would have us to believe, this would indeed be a poor world to live in, and I for one would be perfectly willing to be out of it. The real truth of the matter is that the crooks in any line are few and far between. That being the case it's a pretty fair old sort of a world, and I for one am glad that I am still in it, and very much in it at that. CHAPTER IX. WE BALL PLAYERS GO ABROAD. The first trip that was ever made across the big pond by American ball players and to which brief reference was made in an earlier chapter, took place in the summer of 1874. London was, as a matter of course, our first objective point, and I considered myself lucky indeed in being a member of one of the organizations that was to attempt to teach our English cousins the beauties of America's National Game. The two clubs selected to make the trip were the Bostons, then champions, and the Athletics, and the players who were to represent them, together with their positions, are given below: BOSTON POSITIONS ATHLETIC Catcher John E. Clapp A. G. Spalding Pitcher Jas. D. McBride Jas. O'Rourke First base West D. Fisler Ross C. Barnes Second base Jos. Battin Harry Schafer Third base Ezra B. Sutton Geo. Wright Shortstop M. E. McGeary A.J. Leonard Left field Albert W. Gedney Cal C. McVey Right field A. C. Anson Harry Wright Center field Jas. F. McMullen Geo. W. Hall Substitute Al J. Reach Thos. H. Beals Substitute J. P. Sensenderfer Sam Wright, Jr. Substitute Tim Murnane James White of the Boston team declined to go at the last moment, his place being taken by Kent of the Harvard College team while Al Reach was kept from making the trip by business engagements. Alfred H. Wright of the "New York Clipper" and Philadelphia "Sunday Mercury," and H. S. Kempton of the "Boston Herald" both accompanied us and scored the base-ball games that were played on the trip, while the first-named officiated in the same capacity when the game was cricket. In addition to these men, both clubs were accompanied by large parties of friends who were anxious to see what sort of a reception would be accorded to us by our British cousins, who had never yet witnessed a base-ball game, their nearest approach to it having been to look on at a game of "rounders."