“A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!” roared Gamp, slapping his thigh. “If this ain’t the gug-gug-gug-greatest pup-pup-pup-pup-pup-picnic I ever struck! Why, this is more fun than chasin’ a yallar cuc-cuc-caow all over a forty-acre pasture lot! A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!” That laugh was infectious, others caught it, and the crowd roared. “Fun!” shouted Harry Rattleton, from a position on the coach line over by third. “It’s more fun than bodging dullets--I mean dodging bullets.” Hodge was the third man to come to the bat. Noon believed he knew Bart’s weakness, and he motioned for a slow drop. Haggerty faced the batter. “Nun-nun-nun-now you’re off!” shouted Gamp to the runner. “Pup-pup-pup-play away off. He can’t cuc-cuc-catch you in a year! Oh, what a good time! A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!” Haggerty snapped the ball over to first, but Thornton got back all right, and Joe Gamp roared again. “It is a farce, isn’t it?” smiled Frank, speaking in Capt. Hardy’s ear. “My team seems to be having fun with yours, old man.” “Oh, wait some,” advised Hardy. “You will laugh out of the other side of your mouth in a minute.” “Just keep that little cuss tut-tut-tut-throwing, Tom,” said Gamp. “Pup-pup-pretty soon he’ll get excited and tut-tut-tut-throw it a mile.” But Haggerty did not make another attempt to catch the runner. He suddenly sent in a straight one for Bart, making it high. Bart struck at it--and missed. Frank was surprised, for Hodge, as a rule, could hit high ones. “Oh, he is easy,” cried Ned Noon, derisively. “We’ll have him going after sky-scrapers in a minute.” “So that is the man you have been recommending, Merriwell,” said Capt. Hardy. “And he wastes his strength on a ball like that. Any boy would have known that was a rod too high.” “Wait a little yet,” advised Frank. “He may be a trifle anxious just now, for he knows everybody is watching him. I’ll wager my life that he shows up all right directly.” “He hasn’t done anything in the game yet.” “He hasn’t been given a chance, has he?” “Well, not much of a chance,” Hardy was forced to confess. Down by first Joe Gamp was stammering and haw-hawing, and it was plain that his talk was getting Haggerty a little nervous. The grin had vanished from the face of the pitcher, and his jaws were working convulsively over the chew of gum. He tried Hodge on a low drop, but Bart let it pass. Then he sent in a rise, and Hodge went for it. To the surprise of both Haggerty and Noon, Hodge hit the ball. It was a frightful crack, and away flew the sphere toward left field. “Run!” roared the coachers, and Hodge raced down to first, while Thornton went flying toward second. CHAPTER XVI. MERRIWELL’S NINE LEADS. “Costigan will get it!” cried several voices, as the stocky left fielder raced back after the ball. “He can’t reach it!” cried others. “Gamp ought to be out there now,” shouted somebody.