e'll have our work cut out for us, all right."

"Both Mac and Brennan have got the right idea," said Hughson. "Too many of
these barnstorming trips have been made up of second string men, and when
people came to see the teams play and didn't find the real stars in the
line-up they naturally felt sore. But they're going to get the simon-pure
article this time and the games are to be for blood. Anyone that lays
down on his job is going to get fired. It'll be easy enough to pick up a
good man to take his place."

"What's the scheme?" asked Joe. "Are we two teams to play against each
other all the time, or are we to take on some of the local nines?"

"I don't think that's been fully worked out yet," replied Hughson. "I know
we're going to play the Denver nine and some of the crack California
teams."

"Easy meat," commented Jim with a grin.

"Don't you believe it," rejoined Hughson. "Don't you remember how the Waco
team trimmed us last spring? Those fellows will play their heads off to
beat us--and they'll own the town if they succeed. They figure that
they'll catch us off our guard and get the Indian sign on us before we
wake up."

"Yes. But do you think they can get the Indian sign so easily?"

"No, I don't."

"Of course, those minor teams will play their very best, because it would
be a feather in their cap if they could take a game away from us. They'll
probably look around and pick up the very best players they can, even if
they have to put up some money for the purpose. Just the same, we ought to
be able to polish them off with these."

"Well, of course, we've got to expect to lose some games. It would be a
remarkable thing to go around the world and win every game."

"Yet it might be done," broke in Jim.

"I suppose there'll be quite a party going along with the teams, just for
the sake of the trip," observed Joe.

"You've said it," replied Hughson. "At least half of the men will have
their wives along, and then there's a whole bunch of fans who have been
meaning to go round the world anyway who will think this a good chance to
mix baseball and globe trotting. Altogether I shouldn't wonder if there
would be about a hundred in the party. Some of the fellows will have their
sisters with them, and you boys had better look out or you'll lose your
hearts to them. But perhaps," he added, as he saw a look of quick
intelligence pass between the chums, "you're already past praying for."

Neither one of them deni