"Nothing but our clothes," grinned Dan, "and some hair."
"You've no appointments or engagements, then?" persisted Hepson. "My being here won't interfere with anything that you want to do?"
"Not in the least," Dave replied.
"Oh, then, I'll invite myself to a chair," declared the first classman, suiting the action to the word. "Now, you fellows can guess why I'm here."
"You're captain of this year's football eleven," Dave replied. "Has that anything to do with your call?"
"Everything," admitted Hepson briskly. "Have you fellows any notion that we've a poor eleven, so far, this year?"
"Why I thought it pretty good, from the practice work that I saw done in
August," Darrin answered slowly.
"A pretty good eleven doesn't win games, sir," retorted Hepson. "Man, we've got to strengthen the team all along the line, or I'll go down in Naval Academy history as captain of the worst lot of dubs who ever chased a pigskin around the field!"
"Is it as bad as that?" demanded Dan, opening his eyes.
"Dalzell," said Hepson, "our eleven is rotten, sir—simply and fiercely useless!"