The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-11-22

hrew his hand high above his head |
md fired two pistol shots in rapid sue
,ession.
Fifteen thousand five hundred spec |
.ators, intent on more exciting events, |
heard the sharp ping-pang above the
lin of many mingled shouts. With a
side glance they caught the two little
puffs of white smoke rising above the
brown earth arena, but swept their
gaze back to the south end of the
field. where the fight was fluctuating
furiously close to the California goal.
Even as they looked they realized.
The struggling mass was disintegrat-
ing and relaxing. Individuals were
Swinging up to erect positions. As if
bv instinct the whole west slope
bleachers became frenzied with the alb
solute joy of many thousand partisans.
Quicker than the tired athletes on the
field below. these eager watchers were
up and yelling wildly. They became as
a hillside garden of cardinal peoples
agitated by repeated breezes. Flags
before unseen nuttered frantically and
converted the great incline Of closely
hacked humanity into a sort of minia-
t1Ire forest with it's red autumnal
leaves violently shaken loose by per-
sistent storm gusts. And the noise Of
those exultant thousands must have
sounded a mile away like the wailing
of a great wind through treetops.
It was the end of the first intercol-
legiate Rugby game ever played by
,,,,fo
Stanford had triumphed. 1t was a
day of threes. Even the score of dou-
BILE three to three had nicely. conform
ed with the Stanford rooters' day
dream that this year the team would
make it three straight" Two years
earlier Stanford had dedicated that
very California field with a blood-red
serpentine war dance of yelling stu
dents promptly celebrating their team
1870 football victory over California.
And last year, down on the new STAN
ford field, California had fought furi-
iously to retaliate but the Cardinal
keyed to a spirit of desperation in the
defense Of home, made the score 12-5
and let a raging torrent of red-hatted
rooters come cascading down out OF
the lofty terraced seats and caressing-
" dance their snakey procession over
every square yard of that dearly pro-
tected ground.
In all the fifteen preceding seasons
Of football battles between these splen'
did college rivals the matches had beer
so closely contested that neither sidt
had been able to maintain lead Longer
than two seasons. Way back in Marcel
of 1892 intercollegiate football was in
augurated on the Pacific Coast with
14-1O stanford victory over California
out on the Haight-street baseball
grounds Then followed two seasons o
| tie games. Next Stanford won 60
Another tie followed. Stanford thel
won two years in succession with ire
mendous scores, only to be prompt,
followed by two similarly big defeats
The next game was Stanford's by
small score. CALIFORNIA; two succeed
ing victorious years We're followed b.
two larger final victories for the Car
dinal.
The old game had registered seve
Stanford victories, four ties and fou
winning years for California.
Enthusiasm? People were yellin
all the time. Not the same ones, no
the same persons always completin
their yell. There were suddn thrill
for one side and then the other, wit
an elusive uncertainty that instantl
turned apparent decided advantage in
to omnous prospects. At the old gam
you grew tenser and dug your nail
deep into your palms as the agon
went on, every rush taking your tear
steadily back and back toward its goa
Or you gloried in the strength an
persistency and skill and certainty
the men advancing the ball for you. A
long as they had it you stored up en-
ergy, and you had your chances to re
lieve the increasing nerve strain. 70
knew what to expect But in the Rug
by game yesterday you knew nothin
positively longer than a few seconds
for visions of a glorious run woul
change like the shifting views in
stereopticon and your started We
would end in a gasp and gloom.
II the general assemblage liked the
exhibition or Rugby well enough
vote the game superior to the recent
radically revised and improved Amer
can football, then Rugby has probabl
won FIRST place as college team spol
II in the far West.
The Serum" is the most uninteres
ing feature of Rugby It is the process
by which the ball is put in play. Lii
oxen bending their necks to the yok
the rival forwards lock themselv'
head under shoulder in two turtle-bac
VS.. Into the tiny area between II
opposing toes is tossed the ball at II
spot where successful tackle WI
made. A hen scratching for who
brood of young chicks could not ella
about more than those sixteen pal
of scraping feet trying to rake the ba
back and out to the lowering rune
waiting close behind on the opposi
sides Of the mass.
Instead of having a serum occasio