"I think I really prefer the good old U. S. A., don't you know," drawled Reggie. "There may be society here, but really it's so different from ours that I shouldn't like to take part in it." "Yes, there is plenty of noise, but, at the same time, there is a good deal of calm and quiet," said Joe. But the calm and quiet that seemed to be prevailing features of Japanese life were wholly absent from the ball games where the visiting teams met the nines of Keio and Waseda Universities. The Giants were to play the first named team, while later on the All-Americans were slated to tackle the Waseda men. In the first game the contrast was laughable between the sturdy Giant players and their diminutive opponents. "What are we playing against?" laughed Larry to Denton. "A bunch of kids?" "It would take two of them to make a mouthful," grinned Denton. "I feel almost ashamed of myself," chimed in Burkett. "We ought to tackle fellows of our own size." "You don't find many of that kind in Japan," said Joe. "But don't you hold these fellows too cheap. They may have a surprise in store for us." The snap and vim that the Japs put into their practice before the game seemed to add point to his prophecy. They shot the ball around the bases with a speed and precision that would have done credit to seasoned veterans and made McRae, who watched them keenly, give his men a word of caution. "Don't get too gay, boys," he warned. The game that followed was "for blood." The universities had poured out their crowds to a man to cheer their players on to victory. And for the first five innings the scales hung in the balance. The Keio pitcher had a world of speed and a tantalizing drop, and only two safe hits were made off him. Behind him his team mates fielded like demons. No ball seemed too hard for them to get, and even when a Giant got to first base he found it difficult to advance against the accurate throwing to second of the Jap catcher. At the bat the home players were less fortunate. They hit the ball often enough but they couldn't "lean against it" with the power of their sturdier rivals. They were skillful bunters, however, and had the Giant players "standing on their heads" in trying to field the balls that the clever Jap players laid deftly in front of the plate. By these tactics they scored a run in the sixth inning, against which the Giants had only a string of goose eggs. "It's like a bear against a wildcat," muttered Robbie to McRae, as the little Jap scurried over the plate. "And it looks as if the wildcat might win," grunted the Giant manager, not at all pleased at the possibility. "Not a bit of it," denied Robbie sturdily. "A good big man is better than a good little man any time."