"Game nothing!"
"Lost his nerve."
"Sure he did."
"Well, I'll be damned."
"A quitter—a rank quitter!"
He walked to his seconds, angry at the misunderstanding.
"Here, I know what I'm doing," he said in short, quick breaths, forgetting that he, a freshman, was addressing the lords of creation. He was a captain again, his own captain, conducting his own battle. "I'll get him yet. Rub up this shoulder, quick."
"Keep off the ground," said one mentor.
"You bet I will."