"I don't ask anything better," replied Joe, with a laugh. "I'd get soft if they were too easy. But who are these ball killers? Let me know the worst." "Well," said Hughson, "there's Wallie Schalk behind the bat--you know how he can line them out. Then there's Miller at first, Ebers at second, McBride at short and Chapman at third. The outfielders will probably be Cooper and Murray and Lange. For pitchers Brennan will have Hamilton, Fraser and Ellis,--although Ellis was troubled with the charley-horse toward the end of the season, and Banks may take his place." "It's a strong team," commented Jim, "and they can certainly make the ball scream when they hit it. They're a nifty lot of fielders, too. I guess we'll have our work cut out for us, all right." "Both Mac and Brennan have got the right idea," said Hughson. "Too many of these barnstorming trips have been made up of second string men, and when people came to see the teams play and didn't find the real stars in the line-up they naturally felt sore. But they're going to get the simon-pure article this time and the games are to be for blood. Anyone that lays down on his job is going to get fired. It'll be easy enough to pick up a good man to take his place." "What's the scheme?" asked Joe. "Are we two teams to play against each other all the time, or are we to take on some of the local nines?" "I don't think that's been fully worked out yet," replied Hughson. "I know we're going to play the Denver nine and some of the crack California teams." "Easy meat," commented Jim with a grin. "Don't you believe it," rejoined Hughson. "Don't you remember how the Waco team trimmed us last spring? Those fellows will play their heads off to beat us--and they'll own the town if they succeed. They figure that they'll catch us off our guard and get the Indian sign on us before we wake up." "Yes. But do you think they can get the Indian sign so easily?" "No, I don't." "Of course, those minor teams will play their very best, because it would be a feather in their cap if they could take a game away from us. They'll probably look around and pick up the very best players they can, even if they have to put up some money for the purpose. Just the same, we ought to be able to polish them off with these." "Well, of course, we've got to expect to lose some games. It would be a remarkable thing to go around the world and win every game." "Yet it might be done," broke in Jim. "I suppose there'll be quite a party going along with the teams, just for the sake of the trip," observed Joe.