There were some Yale men in the stand, and the Yale cheer went up instantly.
“Merriwell wins!” was the cry that was repeated over and over. “That can’t be beaten to-day.”
The next contestant seemed disheartened by the stunt, for he fell far short of nineteen feet.
It happened that Necker was the eighth man on the list, while Morgan was ninth.
When Necker’s turn came Merriwell held the record by eight inches.
Necker had plenty of friends to cheer him. He looked pantherish in his jumping rig. He was thin, but his muscles were like bands of steel covered by pink velvet.
Necker caught Manton’s eye as he walked out to the starting point. He nodded and smiled the least bit.
“He’s confident,” said Manton; “and he knows what he can do. I believe he’ll beat Merriwell.”
“Never!” retorted Frost. “It won’t be done in this event.”
Necker balanced himself, made a start, went flying to the mark, and leaped.