No fall could be counted until Mellor's shoulders were both squarely on the floor, and, therefore, Grant was crowding with all his might to prevent his antagonist from turning on his face.
When a wrestler lies over on his stomach with his arms outstretched, it is almost impossible to turn him.
It looked as if Mellor were trying to get into this position, for then Grant would be compelled to stand off and give him a chance to spring up.
Grant, of course, was trying to do just the reverse, for having Mellor so nearly down, he did not care to give him a chance to get on his feet again.
Just how it was done it was hard to see, but suddenly Mellor seemed to rise as if he were on a trap that rose by the force of a concealed spring.
With a wonderfully quick movement he broke his hold and got a new one, and before anybody realized what his attempt meant, he had turned his antagonist over and brought Grant's shoulders squarely down upon the floor.
Then the building shook with howls. Yale had won the first bout in wrestling, and at the same instant Harvard had beaten the Cornell tug of war team.
The Yale managers were happy. It seemed now as if Mellor were certain of carrying off the cup for wrestling.
According to the fall of lots he was to tackle Sherman of Harvard next.
Sherman was a comparatively slender, but very wiry fellow. He was considerably under Mellor's weight, and as the latter had shown unusual skill it was thought that the Harvard man would prove an easy victim.