School Stories P. G. Wodehouse (easy readers TXT) š
- Author: P. G. Wodehouse
Book online Ā«School Stories P. G. Wodehouse (easy readers TXT) šĀ». Author P. G. Wodehouse
This year, to add a sort of finishing touch, there was just a little ill-feeling between Dacreās and Merevaleās. The cause of it was the Babe. Until the beginning of the term he had been a day boy. Then the news began to circulate that he was going to become a boarder, either at Dacreās or at Merevaleās. He chose the latter, and Dacreās felt slightly aggrieved. Some of the less sportsmanlike members of the House had proposed that a protest should be made against his being allowed to play, but, fortunately for the credit of Dacreās, Prescott, the captain of the House Fifteen, had put his foot down with an emphatic bang at the suggestion. As he sagely pointed out, there were some things which were bad form, and this was one of them. If the team wanted to express their disapproval, said he, let them do it on the field by tackling their very hardest. He personally was going to do his best, and he advised them to do the same.
The rumour of this bad blood had got about the School in some mysterious manner, and when Swift, Merevaleās only First Fifteen forward, kicked off up the hill, a large crowd was lining the ropes. It was evident from the outset that it would be a good game.
Dacreās were the better sideā āas a team. They had no really weak spot. But Merevaleās extraordinarily strong three-quarter line somewhat made up for an inferior scrum. And the fact that the Babe was in the centre was worth much.
At first Dacreās pressed. Their pack was unusually heavy for a House-team, and they made full use of it. They took the ball down the field in short rushes till they were in Merevaleās twenty-five. Then they began to heel, and, if things had been more or less exciting for the Merevalians before, they became doubly so now. The ground was dry, and so was the ball, and the game consequently waxed fast. Time after time the ball went along Dacreās three-quarter line, only to end by finding itself hurled, with the wing who was carrying it, into touch. Occasionally the centres, instead of feeding their wings, would try to dodge through themselves. And that was where the Babe came in. He was admittedly the best tackler in the School, but on this occasion he excelled himself. His man never had a chance of getting past. At last a lofty kick into touch over the heads of the spectators gave the players a few secondsā rest.
The Babe went up to Charteris.
āLook here,ā he said, āitās risky, but I think weāll try having the ball out a bit.ā
āIn our own twenty-five?ā said Charteris.
āWherever we are. I believe it will come off all right. Anyway, weāll try it. Tell the forwards.ā
For forwards playing against a pack much heavier than themselves, it is easier to talk about letting the ball out than to do it. The first half dozen times that Merevaleās scrum tried to heel they were shoved off their feet, and it was on the enemyās side that the ball went out. But the seventh attempt succeeded. Out it came, cleanly and speedily. Daintree, who was playing instead of Tony, switched it across to Charteris. Charteris dodged the half who was marking him, and ran. Heeling and passing in oneās own twenty-five is like smokingā āan excellent practice if indulged in in moderation. On this occasion it answered perfectly. Charteris ran to the halfway line, and handed the ball on to the Babe. The Babe was tackled from behind, and passed to Thomson. Thomson dodged his man, and passed to Welch on the wing. Welch was the fastest sprinter in the School. It was a pleasureā āif you did not happen to be one of the opposing sideā āto see him race down the touchline. He was off like an arrow. Dacreās back made a futile attempt to get at him. Welch could have given the back fifteen yards in a hundred. He ran round him, and, amidst terrific applause from the Merevaleās-supporting section of the audience, scored between the posts. The Babe took the kick and converted without difficulty. Five minutes afterwards the whistle blew for halftime.
The remainder of the game does not call for detailed description. Dacreās pressed nearly the whole of the last half hour, but twice more the ball came out and went down Merevaleās three-quarter line. Once it was the Babe who scored with a run from his own goal-line, and once Charteris, who got in from halfway, dodging through the whole team. The last ten minutes of the game was marked by a slight excess of energy on both sides. Dacreās forwards were in a decidedly bad temper, and fought like tigers to break through, and Merevaleās played up to them with spirit. The Babe seemed continually to be precipitating himself at the feet of rushing forwards, and Charteris felt as if at least a dozen bones were broken in various portions of his anatomy. The game ended on Merevaleās line, but they had won the match and the cup by two goals and a try to nothing.
Charteris limped off the field, cheerful but damaged. He ached all over, and there was a large bruise on his left cheekbone. He and Babe were going to the House, when they were aware that the Headmaster was beckoning to them.
āWell, MacArthur, and what was the result of the match?ā
āWe won, sir,ā boomed the Babe. āTwo goals and a try to nil.ā
āYou have hurt your cheek, Charteris?ā
āYes, sir.ā
āHow did you do that?ā
āI got a kick, sir, in one of the rushes.ā
āAh. I should bathe it, Charteris. Bathe it well. I hope it will not be very painful. Bathe it well in warm water.ā
He walked on.
āYou know,ā said Charteris to the Babe, as they went into the House, āthe Old Man isnāt such a bad sort after all. He has his points, donāt you think?ā
The Babe said that he did.
āIām
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