Ryan was there. He made a jump for it, together with Douglass, but the Rivermouth man was the swifter, and he fell on the ball.
Not a second was lost in lining up. The whistle would blow in a very short time, ending the half.
Apparently Rivermouth was prepared for a furious onslaught.
"Hold ’em—hold ’em, boys!" urged Captain Nunn. "It won’t be a minute! They can’t score again this half!"
The moment the ball was snapped Fardale tried to break through and reach it; but Rivermouth blocked these efforts most successfully for a few moments.
During those few moments, instead of charging, Hurting again made a drop-kick for goal. This time Dick Merriwell was unable to get through and block the ball, nor did any one else interfere until Hurting had made a clean kick.
Then the Rivermouth half-back was slammed to the ground, but it was too late.
Over the cross-bar sailed the ball, the whistle sounded, and the home team was in the lead by a score of 10 to 6.
Steve Nunn was a very sore fellow.
"I’m to blame for that fluke!" he muttered, in deep disgust, as the team retired to the bar to rest a few moments and be rubbed down. “Somebody[“Somebody] ought to kick me!”