A full minute passed, during which there was some pulling by each side, and still the ribbon remained squarely over the chalk mark. The spectators left their seats, so great was their excitement, and in spite of the efforts of the policemen who were stationed in the hall, crowded down upon the floor until they were within a few feet of the opposing teams. Old men in the crowd who had graduated from college before Frank and his companions were born, were quite as excited as the younger men. "Don't let it be a draw, Merriwell," shouted one white-whiskered man, waving his hat frantically. "Princeton! Princeton!" came in a big chorus from the other side of the room, as the Princeton team lay closer to the floor and pulled at the rope with might and main. The muscles of their arms and shoulders stood out like whipcords and the perspiration started from their brows. They were doing their best, to say the least, to prevent a draw. It was a splendid tug; the ribbon at last began to move. It took its course slowly and by little starts and halts toward the Princeton side. The palms of the Yale men fairly burned as the cord slipped by. It was not much, but as before, an inch at the end of four minutes would be as good as a yard. Frank's face was set in an expression of intense determination, and the perspiration stood out upon his brow, too, although he was exerting little force. Inch by inch he was paying out the rope from his belt, a thing that had to be done in order to prevent his crew from being pulled to their feet. Frank was waiting his opportunity; it came as he had foreseen, just at the instant when the Princeton men had exerted all the force of which they were capable. He knew when this minute had arrived, not by any expression upon their faces, but by the fact that the Princeton anchor hastily caught his end of the rope in a knot in order to hold the advantage that had been gained. Then Frank said in a tone that could not have been heard by any of the spectators: "Now, boys!" On that instant the three Yale men who had been lying almost on their backs, sat up, made a quick grab at the rope a few inches in front of where they had been holding it before, and then strained back suddenly, and with all the force that they could muster. The Princeton anchor, who had supposed that the Yale men were exhausted also, was taken completely by surprise. He had knotted his rope and could not pay it out as the opposing tug came; the result was that while there was yet a full minute to spare, the Princeton team stood up suddenly, pulled squarely off the cleats by the victorious sons of Yale. The shouting changed on the instant; there had been a wild, triumphant howling on the Princeton side because the ribbon had gone fully fifteen inches beyond the chalk mark.