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 Ultra-Wideband
Communications
Systems
Multiband OFDM Approach

W. Pam Siriwongpairat
Meteor Communications Corporation

K. J. Ray Liu
University of Maryland

A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION

 Ultra-Wideband
Communications
Systems
 Ultra-Wideband
Communications
Systems
Multiband OFDM Approach

W. Pam Siriwongpairat
Meteor Communications Corporation

K. J. Ray Liu
University of Maryland

A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION

Copyright 
C 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
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Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Siriwongpairat, W. Pam, 1978–

Ultra-wideband communication systems : multiband OFDM approach / W. Pam
Siriwongpairat. K.J. Ray Liu.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-470-07469-5 (cloth)
1. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. 2. Ultra-wideband devices.
I. Liu, K. J. Ray, 1961– II. Title.
TK5103.484.S57 2007
621.384—dc22
2007012087

Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents, Sawai and Pimjai Siriwongpairat

—WPS

To Jeffry and Joanne Liu

—KJRL
 CONTENTS

Preface xiii

Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Overview of UWB, 1
1.2 Advantages of UWB, 3
1.3 UWB Applications, 4
1.4 UWB Transmission Schemes, 5
1.5 Challenges for UWB, 7

Chapter 2 Channel Characteristics 9

2.1 Large-Scale Models, 10
2.1.1 Path Loss Models, 10
2.1.2 Shadowing, 11
2.2 Small-Scale Models, 12
2.2.1 Tap-Delay-Line Fading Model, 13
2.2.2  − K Model, 14
2.2.3 Saleh–Valenzuela Model, 15
2.2.4 Standard UWB Channel Model, 16

Chapter 3 UWB: Single-Band Approaches 19

3.1 Overview of Single-Band Approaches, 20
3.2 Modulation Techniques, 21
3.2.1 Pulse Amplitude Modulation, 21
3.2.2 On–Off Keying, 22
3.2.3 Phase Shift Keying, 22
3.2.4 Pulse Position Modulation, 23
3.3 Multiple Access Techniques, 23
3.3.1 Time-Hopping UWB, 24
3.3.2 Direct-Sequence UWB, 25
vii
viii CONTENTS

3.4 Demodulation Techniques, 26

3.4.1 Received Signal Model, 26
3.4.2 Correlation Receiver, 27
3.4.3 RAKE Receiver, 28
3.5 MIMO Single-Band UWB, 30
3.5.1 MIMO Space–Time-Coded Systems, 30
3.5.2 Space–Time-Coded UWB Systems, 32
3.6 Performance Analysis, 37
3.6.1 TH-BPPM, 38
3.6.2 TH-BPSK, 41
3.6.3 DS-BPSK, 42
3.7 Simulation Results, 44
3.8 Chapter Summary, 51

Chapter 4 UWB: Multiband OFDM Approach 53

4.1 Overview of Multiband OFDM Approach, 54
4.1.1 Fundamental Concepts, 54
4.1.2 Signal Model, 56
4.2 IEEE 802.15.3a WPAN Standard Proposal, 57
4.2.1 OFDM Parameters, 57
4.2.2 Rate-Dependent Parameters, 58
4.2.3 Operating Band Frequencies, 59
4.2.4 Channelization, 60
4.3 Physical Layer Design, 61
4.3.1 Scrambler and De-scrambler, 62
4.3.2 Convolutional Encoder and Viterbi
Decoder, 62
4.3.3 Bit Interleaver and De-interleaver, 63
4.3.4 Constellation Mapper, 67
4.3.5 OFDM Modulation, 67
4.4 MAC Layer Design, 69
4.4.1 Network Topology, 69
4.4.2 Frame Architecture, 71
4.4.3 Network Operations, 72
4.5 Chapter Summary, 73

Chapter 5 MIMO Multiband OFDM 75

5.1 MIMO-OFDM Communications, 76
5.2 MIMO Multiband OFDM System Model, 78
 CONTENTS ix

5.2.1 Transmitter Description, 78

5.2.2 Channel Model, 80
5.2.3 Receiver Processing, 80
5.3 Performance Analysis, 82
5.3.1 Independent Fading, 83
5.3.2 Correlated Fading, 86
5.4 Simulation Results, 89
5.5 Chapter Summary, 94

Chapter 6 Performance Characterization 97

6.1 System Model, 98
6.2 Performance Analysis, 99
6.2.1 Average PEP Analysis, 100
6.2.2 Approximate PEP Formulation, 102
6.2.3 Outage Probability, 106
6.3 Analysis for MIMO Multiband OFDM
Systems, 110
6.3.1 MIMO Multiband OFDM System
Model, 110
6.3.2 Pairwise Error Probability, 111
6.3.3 Example: Repetition STF Coding Based
on Alamouti’s Structure, 113
6.4 Simulation Results, 114
6.5 Chapter Summary, 120

Chapter 7 Performance Under Practical Considerations 121

7.1 System Model, 122
7.2 Average Signal-to-Noise Ratio, 124
7.2.1 Expressions of Fading Term, ICI, and
ISI, 124
7.2.2 Variances of Fading Term, ICI, and ISI, 127
7.2.3 Average Signal-to-Noise Ratio and
Performance Degradation, 132
7.3 Average Bit Error Rate, 132
7.3.1 Overall Spreading Gain of 1, 134
7.3.2 Overall Spreading Gain of 2, 136
7.3.3 Overall Spreading Gain of 4, 137
7.4 Performance Bound, 140
7.5 Numerical and Simulation Results, 143
7.5.1 Numerical Results, 143
x CONTENTS

7.5.2 Simulation and Numerical Results, 145

7.6 Chapter Summary, 147
Appendix: Derivations of A1 , A2 , B1 , and B2 , 148
A.1 Derivation of A1 and A2 , 149
A.2 Derivation of B1 and B2 , 151

Chapter 8 Differential Multiband OFDM 155

8.1 Differential Modulation, 156
8.1.1 Single-Antenna Systems, 156
8.1.2 MIMO Systems, 157
8.2 Differential Scheme for Multiband OFDM
Systems, 159
8.2.1 System Model, 159
8.2.2 Differential Encoding and Transmitting
Signal Structure, 160
8.2.3 Multiband Differential Decoding, 162
8.3 Pairwise Error Probability, 163
8.4 Simulation Results, 166
8.5 Chapter Summary, 169

Chapter 9 Power-Controlled Channel Allocation 171

9.1 System Model, 172
9.2 Power-Controlled Channel Allocation Scheme, 174
9.2.1 Generalized SNR for Various Transmission
Modes, 175
9.2.2 PER and Rate Constraint, 176
9.2.3 Problem Formulation, 177
9.2.4 Subband Assignment and Power Allocation
Algorithm, 178
9.2.5 Joint Rate Assignment and Resource
Allocation Algorithm, 179
9.3 Simulation Results, 182
9.3.1 Subband Assignment and Power
Allocation, 182
9.3.2 Joint Rate Assignment and Resource
Allocation, 185
9.4 Chapter Summary, 186

Chapter 10 Cooperative UWB Multiband OFDM 189

10.1 Cooperative Communications, 190
 CONTENTS xi

10.2 System Model, 191

10.2.1 Noncooperative UWB, 192
10.2.2 Cooperative UWB, 193
10.3 SER Analysis for Cooperative UWB, 194
10.3.1 Cooperative UWB, 194
10.3.2 Comparison of Cooperative and
Noncooperative UWB, 199
10.4 Optimum Power Allocation for Cooperative
UWB, 201
10.4.1 Power Minimization Using Cooperative
Communications, 201
10.4.2 Coverage Enhancement Using Cooperative
Communications, 205
10.5 Improved Cooperative UWB, 208
10.6 Simulation Results, 212
10.7 Chapter Summary, 215
References 217

Index 227
 PREFACE

Ultra-wideband (UWB) has emerged as a technology that offers great promise to

satisfy the growing demand for low-cost, high-speed digital wireless indoor and home
networks. The enormous bandwidth available, the potential for high data rates, and
the potential for small size and low processing power along with low implementation
cost all present a unique opportunity for UWB to become a widely adopted radio
solution for future wireless home-networking technology.
UWB is defined as any transmission that occupies a bandwidth of more than 20%
of its center frequency, or more than 500 MHz. In 2002, the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) has mandated that UWB radio transmission can legally operate
in the range 3.1 to 10.6 GHz at a transmitter power of −41.3 dBm/MHz. The use of
UWB technology under the FCC guidelines can provide enormous capacity over short
ranges. This can be seen by considering Shannon’s capacity equation, which shows
that increasing channel capacity requires linear increases in bandwidth, whereas
similar channel capacity increases would require exponential increases in power.
Currently, UWB technology is able to support various data rates, ranging from 55
to 480 Mbps, over distances up to 10 meters. In addition, it is expected that UWB
devices will consume very little power and silicon area, as well as provide low-cost
solutions that can satisfy consumer market demands.
Nevertheless, to fulfill these expectations, UWB research and development have
to cope with several challenges, including high-sensitivity synchronization, ability
to capture the multipath energy, low-complexity constraints, strict power limitations,
scalability, and flexibility. Such challenges require advanced digital signal-processing
expertise to develop systems that could take advantage of the UWB spectrum and
support future indoor wireless applications.
This book provides comprehensive coverage of the fundamental issues in UWB
technology, with particular focus on the multiband orthogonal frequency-division
multiplexing (multiband OFDM) approach, which has been a leading proposal in the
IEEE 802.15.3a standard and has recently been adopted in the ECMA standard for
wireless personal area networks. The book also explores several major advanced state-
of-the-art technologies to enhance the performance of the standardized multiband
OFDM approach.

xiii
xiv PREFACE

In Chapter 1 we provide an introduction to UWB communications. In this chapter

we present a comprehensive overview of UWB radios and review the historical
development of UWB. Then we discuss the advantages, challenges, and applications
of UWB technology.
In Chapter 2 we describe the characteristics of UWB channels and establish a
mathematical channel model for the analysis in subsequent chapters.
Chapter 3 provides an overview of UWB single-band approaches. In this chapter we
describe the signal modeling and transceiver design of single-band approaches. Then
we derive the bit-error-rate performance of single-band UWB systems. Performance
analysis is provided for both single- and multiple-antenna UWB systems.
Chapter 4 is an overview of the multiband OFDM approach. In this chapter we
provide the fundamental background for the multiband OFDM approach used in
subsequent chapters.
In Chapter 5 we extend the multiband OFDM approach to a multiple-antenna
system. In this chapter we first describe a multiple-input multiple-output coding
framework for UWB multiband OFDM systems. We show that a combination of
space–time–frequency coding and hopping multiband OFDM modulation can fully
exploit all of the available spatial and frequency diversities inherent in UWB envi-
ronments.
In Chapter 6 we analyze the performance of UWB multiband OFDM systems under
realistic UWB channels. We characterize pairwise error and outage probabilities in
UWB multiband OFDM systems, based on the multipath-clustering phenomenon
of UWB channels. The analysis is first provided for single-antenna systems, then
extended to multiantenna systems.
Chapter 7 extends the performance analysis in Chapter 6 to a more practical sce-
nario. Specifically, we provide a performance analysis of multiband OFDM systems
that not only captures the characteristics of realistic UWB channels, but also takes
into consideration the imperfection of frequency and timing synchronization and the
effect of intersymbol interference.
In Chapter 8 we introduce a differential UWB scheme as an alternative approach
that bypasses channel estimation and provides a good trade-off between performance
and complexity in UWB communications systems. We review a basic concept of
differential OFDM, then describe a differential multiband OFDM system and ana-
lyze its performance. Both single- and multiantenna differential UWB systems are
considered.
In Chapter 9 we present a power-controlled channel allocation scheme for multi-
band OFDM systems. The scheme allocates subbands and transmitted power among
UWB users to minimize overall power consumption. This allows a UWB multiband
OFDM system to operate at a low transmitter power level while still achieving the
performance desired.
In Chapter 10 we introduce cooperative communications in UWB systems to
enhance the performance and coverage of UWB by exploiting the broadcasting nature
of wireless channels and cooperation among UWB devices. The principal concept of
cooperative communications is presented, and then it is applied to multiband OFDM
 PREFACE xv

systems. Performance analysis and optimum power allocation of cooperative UWB

multiband OFDM systems are provided.
We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Thanongsak Himsoon, who con-
tributed the major part of Chapter 8, and to Hung-Quoc Lai for his contributions to
Chapters 4 and 7. We also would like to thank Dr. Weifeng Su, Dr. Zhu Han, and Dr.
Masoud Olfat for their research represented in several works described in the book.

W. PAM SIRIWONGPAIRAT
K. J. RAY LIU

Meteor Communications Corporation

Kent, Washington
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
 1
INTRODUCTION

In the near future, indoor communications of any digital data—from high-speed

signals carrying multiple HDTV programs to low-speed signals used for timing
purposes—will be shared over a digital wireless network. Such indoor and home
networking is unique, in that it simultaneously requires high data rates (for multiple
streams of digital video), very low cost (for broad consumer adoption), and very low
power consumption (for embedding into battery-powered handheld appliances). With
its enormous bandwidth, ultra-wideband (UWB) provides a promising solution to
satisfying these requirements and becomes an attractive candidate for future wireless
indoor networks.
We begin with an overview of UWB radios and review the historical development
of UWB. Next, we present the key benefits of UWB. Then we discuss the application
potential of UWB technology for wireless communications. Finally, an overview
of UWB transmission schemes is presented, and the challenges in designing UWB
communication systems are discussed.

1.1 OVERVIEW OF UWB

The concept of UWB was developed in the early 1960s through research in time-
domain electromagnetics, where impulse measurement techniques were used to char-
acterize the transient behavior of a certain class of microwave networks [Ros63]. In the
late 1960s, impulse measurement techniques were applied to the design of wideband
antenna elements, leading to the development of short-pulse radar and communi-
cations systems. In 1973, the first UWB communications patent was awarded for
a short-pulse receiver [Ros73]. Through the late 1980s, UWB was referred to as
baseband, carrier-free, or impulse technology. The term ultra-wideband was coined
in approximately 1989 by the U.S. Department of Defense. By 1989, UWB theory,
techniques, and many implementation approaches had been developed for a wide
range of applications, such as radar, communications, automobile collision avoidance,
Ultra-Wideband Communications Systems: Multiband OFDM Approach, By W. Pam Siriwongpairat and K. J. Ray Liu
Copyright 
c 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1
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 The Project Gutenberg eBook of Dick
Merriwell's Assurance; Or, In His Brother's
Footsteps
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Title: Dick Merriwell's Assurance; Or, In His Brother's Footsteps

Author: Burt L. Standish

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK

MERRIWELL'S ASSURANCE; OR, IN HIS BROTHER'S FOOTSTEPS ***
 Transcriber’s Note:
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BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN

MERRIWELL SERIES
Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell

PRICE, FIFTEEN CENTS

Fascinating Stories of Athletics
A half million enthusiastic followers of the Merriwell brothers will
attest the unfailing interest and wholesomeness of these adventures
of two lads of high ideals, who play fair with themselves, as well as
with the rest of the world.
These stories are rich in fun and thrills in all branches of sports
and athletics. They are extremely high in moral tone, and cannot fail
to be of immense benefit to every boy who reads them.
They have the splendid quality of firing a boy’s ambition to
become a good athlete, in order that he may develop into a strong,
vigorous right-thinking man.
ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT
1—Frank Merriwell’s School Days By Burt L. Standish
 2—Frank Merriwell’s Chums By Burt L. Standish
3—Frank Merriwell’s Foes By Burt L. Standish
4—Frank Merriwell’s Trip West By Burt L. Standish
5—Frank Merriwell Down South By Burt L. Standish
6—Frank Merriwell’s Bravery By Burt L. Standish
7—Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour By Burt L. Standish
8—Frank Merriwell in Europe By Burt L. Standish
9—Frank Merriwell at Yale By Burt L. Standish
10—Frank Merriwell’s Sports Afield By Burt L. Standish
11—Frank Merriwell’s Races By Burt L. Standish
12—Frank Merriwell’s Party By Burt L. Standish
13—Frank Merriwell’s Bicycle Tour By Burt L. Standish
14—Frank Merriwell’s Courage By Burt L. Standish
15—Frank Merriwell’s Daring By Burt L. Standish
16—Frank Merriwell’s Alarm By Burt L. Standish
17—Frank Merriwell’s Athletes By Burt L. Standish
18—Frank Merriwell’s Skill By Burt L. Standish
19—Frank Merriwell’s Champions By Burt L. Standish
20—Frank Merriwell’s Return to Yale By Burt L. Standish
21—Frank Merriwell’s Secret By Burt L. Standish
22—Frank Merriwell’s Danger By Burt L. Standish
23—Frank Merriwell’s Loyalty By Burt L. Standish
24—Frank Merriwell in Camp By Burt L. Standish
25—Frank Merriwell’s Vacation By Burt L. Standish
26—Frank Merriwell’s Cruise By Burt L. Standish
27—Frank Merriwell’s Chase By Burt L. Standish
28—Frank Merriwell in Maine By Burt L. Standish
29—Frank Merriwell’s Struggle By Burt L. Standish
30—Frank Merriwell’s First Job By Burt L. Standish
31—Frank Merriwell’s Opportunity By Burt L. Standish
32—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Luck By Burt L. Standish
33—Frank Merriwell’s Protégé By Burt L. Standish
34—Frank Merriwell on the Road By Burt L. Standish
35—Frank Merriwell’s Own Company By Burt L. Standish
36—Frank Merriwell’s Fame By Burt L. Standish
37—Frank Merriwell’s College Chums By Burt L. Standish
38—Frank Merriwell’s Problem By Burt L. Standish
39—Frank Merriwell’s Fortune By Burt L. Standish
40—Frank Merriwell’s New Comedian By Burt L. Standish
41—Frank Merriwell’s Prosperity By Burt L. Standish
42—Frank Merriwell’s Stage Hit By Burt L. Standish
43—Frank Merriwell’s Great Scheme By Burt L. Standish
44—Frank Merriwell in England By Burt L. Standish
45—Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards By Burt L. Standish
46—Frank Merriwell’s Duel By Burt L. Standish
47—Frank Merriwell’s Double Shot By Burt L. Standish
48—Frank Merriwell’s Baseball Victories By Burt L. Standish
49—Frank Merriwell’s Confidence By Burt L. Standish
 Dick Merriwell’s Assurance
OR,

IN HIS BROTHER’S FOOTSTEPS

BY
BURT L. STANDISH
Author of the famous Merriwell Stories.

STREET & SMITH CORPORATION

PUBLISHERS
79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York

Copyright, 1904
By STREET & SMITH

Dick Merriwell’s Assurance

(Printed in the United States of America)

All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign

languages, including the Scandinavian.
DICK MERRIWELL’S ASSURANCE.
 CHAPTER I.
ARLINGTON GETS THE CHANCE.

When the Fardale Military Academy arranged to play a baseball

game with the Great Northern A. A. it was generally believed that
the cadets would be “snowed under.” The Great Northern was a
semi-professional organization, and it had been necessary to give
the team a large guarantee in order to bring it to Fardale.
Captain Merriwell, of the Fardales, had taken no part in the
arrangements for this game. He had advised neither for nor against
it.
The success of the Fardale team had been such that the athletic
committee of the school, on receiving the proposition from the Great
Northern, had decided to make the game, even though it was known
that the schoolboys would be pitted against semi-professionals who
were much older and many of whom made a regular business of
baseball. It was generally believed among the cadets that their team
had risen superior to the school nines with which they were
scheduled to play.
This being the case, there was a great rejoicing at the academy
when it was known that the Great Northern A. A. would appear
there. There were a few who predicted overwhelming defeat for
Fardale. These, however, were greatly in the minority; the main body
of cadets were confident of victory.
When Captain Merriwell’s opinion was sought in advance, he
simply declared that Fardale was going to capture the game if
possible. On being asked if he did not consider it almost a sure
thing, he replied that no baseball game could be a sure thing unless
one team greatly outclassed the other, for that element called “luck”
often decided the result of a contest on the diamond.
Brad Buckhart, Merriwell’s chum and roommate, was the only one
who knew Dick was in no condition to pitch his best. Dick’s side had
been injured by an assault upon him in a billiard room, when he had
been thrown against a table. It had not recovered, and if he went
into the box with the idea of pitching nine innings when the Great
Northern appeared, it was quite likely he would retard his recovery
to such an extent that he might remain out of condition for the rest
of the spring season. It was Brad who urged Dick to let some one
else pitch against the athletic organization. The Texan chose the
opportunity to do this privately in their room.
“If you get knocked out for fair and can’t pitch any more this
season, I certain see where we land in the ditch,” said Brad; “this
yere game don’t amount to such a lot, pard; what if we do lose it? It
won’t hurt our standing any at all in the school series, and it certain
will be the natural thing any man with a good nut on him will expect.
What if you did go in against these Great Northern chaps and win,
but knocked yourself out so you had to stay on the bench and see
Fairport, Rivermouth, Hudsonville, Springvale, and the rest of them
eat us up? Wouldn’t that be fine! Wouldn’t that make you tired! You
didn’t have anything to do with arranging for this game, and so
there’s no responsibility on your shoulders.”
Dick shook his head.
“I have little to do with arranging any of the games,” he said; “but
I feel just as much responsible, Buckhart. Every one knows this is
going to be a tough old struggle. If I put some one else in to pitch
they will have the impression that I was afraid to go against the
Great Northern.”
“What do you care! You’re a whole lot independent, and I certain
never knew you to mind what any one thought, as long as you
believed you were right.”
“It’s not that, Brad. I can’t afford to lose the confidence of the
team. As long as the fellows behind me believe in me implicitly, they
play better baseball. Let them lose confidence in me, in even a small
degree, and it will affect their playing.”
 “Then it’s up to you to let them know your condition. It’s up to you
to keep it secret no longer that your side is hurt. Pard, you’re a
plenty queer. Why, some pitchers squeal and say they have lame
arms, or something, every time there is a tough game in sight. But
you never want to let any one know you are in bad shape, no matter
what the circumstances may be. Tell you what, partner, if you don’t
explain about your side so it will be understood, I sure am going to
do it myself.”
“You will do nothing of the sort, Buckhart; when I get ready to
tell, I’ll tell. If you stop to think a moment you will see the bad effect
of putting another man into the box. It will look as if I felt shaky
about going against these fellows, and put some one else in to take
chances and suffer blame and defeat if we are beaten.”
“Oh, rot! Any one who knows you well knows you better than
that. And there is Chet Arlington. He is just seething to pitch a
game.”
Dick smiled.
“You can see yourself how it would seem if I should ask Arlington
to pitch this game. He wanted to pitch against Hilsboro, and was not
given the chance. He felt that he might win that game. If I should
put him in now, and Fardale lost the game, which it is quite possible
she may, there would be many who would fancy I had not given him
a fair show. He might think so himself. You can see that, old man.”
“Well, I suppose that’s so,” admitted the Texan. “Never thought of
it that way. No, pard, you can’t ask him to pitch; but, all the same,
you can’t pitch yourself. What are you going to do?”
“It’s a problem I can’t answer now,” said Dick.
Arlington was the one who settled the problem. That very day he
stopped Merriwell on the parade ground, drew him aside, and said:
“See here, Captain Merriwell, I am going to ask you just one more
favor. If you don’t grant it, this will be the last time I’ll ever ask
anything of you.”
“What is it?” demanded Dick.
“I want to pitch Saturday.”
“Do you?”
“Sure thing. May I?”
 “Do you realize what you are asking?”
“You bet I do!” warmly retorted Chet. “You turned me down the
last time I asked such a favor, and I thought I’d never ask another.”
“I didn’t turn you down. I thought seriously of using you against
Hilsboro, but you went round telling that I had promised to put you
into that game when I had done nothing of the sort. You knew I had
done nothing of the sort, but you tried to force me into it by
circulating the report that I had. This is true, Arlington, and you
cannot deny it.”
“Well, maybe that’s right,” confessed Chester. “I did wrong about
that, Merriwell. I am willing to acknowledge it to any one.”
Instantly Dick’s face cleared.
“Now that you have acknowledged it to me you don’t have to say
anything more about it,” he nodded. “We’ll let it drop. But I want you
to think this matter over before you plunge. You know the kind of a
team we have to meet Saturday. Those fellows are professionals.
Our chance of beating them is a small one. I don’t want you to go
around telling that I said this, but you should understand the facts.
If you pitch that game you may lose it. If I put you in, there will be
many ready to say I did it because I didn’t dare pitch myself.”
“Any one who says such a thing is a chump!” exclaimed Chester.
“You don’t have to pay any attention to such talk.”
“But you know it will be said.”
“Put me in and I will tell everybody the truth-that I begged you to
do so. Why should you pitch this game, anyhow? It’s not a school
game, and it will be no disgrace to lose it. If I pitch, I am going to
do my utmost to win. You know what it will mean to me if I do win.
It will put me on my feet here. It will give me a reputation. The
actual fact is that by letting me pitch you will be doing a great favor
to one who has done you no favors.”
“Is that the way you look at it, Arlington? Tell me the truth. Is that
the way you look at it?”
“I swear that’s the way I look at it.”
“Then say nothing and get into the best condition possible for that
game.”
Chester’s face brightened.
 “Now, that’s great stuff, Captain Merriwell!” he said. “I won’t
forget this of you, and you see if I don’t work like a dog to take that
game!”
“I hope you take it,” said Dick.
 CHAPTER II.
FARDALE’S BRILLIANT OPENING.

The game of the Great Northern being well advertised and the day
fair and bright, a large crowd turned out. The Great Northern boys
seemed to think the whole thing something of a lark. They looked on
the cadets with amusement, fancying they could win the game with
ease.
At the usual hour the game was called, with the visitors at bat.
When Chester Arlington went into the box for Fardale and Dick
Merriwell was seen sitting on the bench, there came from the cadets
a murmur of surprise and disappointment.
“Well, what do you think of that?” exclaimed Hector Marsh, who
was seated with his usual companions, Walker, Preston, and Shaw.
“Arlington is going to pitch this game.”
“This is clever of Merriwell,” said Preston. “He is sending a lamb to
the slaughter. He knows which side his bread is buttered on. We
can’t beat those fellows.”
“Well, I will say one thing,” observed Walker. “This is the first time
I have ever known Merriwell to decline to face the music.”
“It shows just how big a chump Arlington is,” growled Marsh.
“Why, poor fellow! he oughter know better!”
“I was counting on seeing the mighty Merriwell knocked out of the
box to-day,” said Preston. “This is a great disappointment to me.”
“It’s ten to one Arlington won’t last three innings,” nodded Walker.
“Perhaps Merriwell will go in after that, and we will have the
pleasure of seeing both of them get their bumps.”
Chester had been taking good care of himself for several days and
was feeling in fine fettle. He was full of confidence, as usual, and
believed he would be able to astonish every one by his work that
day.
“Well! well! well!” roared one of the Great Northern players from
the bench, as their first batter stepped out. “See him pound the
leather! Watch him drive it a mile!”
Up popped Ted Smart, who cried:
“Please don’t drive it a mile, sir! Please don’t drive it more than
half a mile! I know you will hit it very, very hard, but I hope you
won’t spoil the ball!”
Arlington was ready to pitch, and now the players behind him
opened up.
“Put it right over, old boy,” said Earl Gardner.
“Trim his whiskers!” chattered Chip Jolliby.
“Let ’im see ’ow ’ard ’e can ’it hit,” advised Billy Bradley, the
English boy.
“Dern my picter! I am right here behind ye!” piped Obediah Tubbs.
“Put it into the pocket!” growled Buckhart, holding up his big mitt.
“Put it right there, old man!”
Having toed the slab, Arlington whistled in the first ball, which was
a sharp inshoot.
The batter struck, and the ball plunked into the Texan’s glove.
“Oh, dear me!” came from Ted Smart. “Didn’t he hit it hard!”
The entire Fardale team was chattering away now in a lively
fashion, every player on his toes and ready to do his duty.
Having led the batter to swing at the first one, Chester sought to
“pull” him with an outcurve.
Ligner was wary, however and refused to go after it.
“Get ’em over! Get ’em over, young feller!” he growled. “Can’t you
find the plate?”
Chester tried a high one, and again Ligner missed it.
“Wasn’t that an awful hit!” came from Smart. “I didn’t expect him
to hit it so far!”
Arlington was doing his best at the very outset. He could not lead
Ligner into reaching for wide ones. As a result, he was compelled to
put the ball over.
 Then the batter did hit it. He drove it like a shot straight at
Gardner, who never flinched. The ball struck in Earl’s hands, but
dropped to the ground. Quick as thought Gardner picked it up and
sent it across to first, and the first batter was out.
Ligner paused near the base and stood with his hands on his hips,
staring at Gardner.
“Burned your mitts a little, kid, didn’t it?” he cried. “Next time I
will take your paws off. You will learn better than to stand in front of
those after a while.”
At this the cadets set up a derisive shout.
“That fellow is foolish, Mr. Man!” cried Smart, as soon as he could
be heard. “He never will seem to dodge ’em!”
“That’s the first one, Arlington,” said Gardner. “They’re half gone—
half gone!”
“You must be good at arithmetic!” derisively called one of the
visitors from the bench.
“Beautiful work, Gardner!” said Arlington, in satisfaction. “A fellow
can pitch with that kind of support!”
The second hitter was a stocky young Irish lad by the name of
O’Rouke.
“He’s easy,” asserted Ligner. “All you have to do is wait, and he will
put a pretty one right over.”
Chester surveyed O’Rouke critically, his toe on the pitching plate.
His pose was one of grace, and he knew it. He knew also that in the
grand stand were several girls who were watching him anxiously. He
had seen his sister, accompanied by Doris Templeton and Zona
Desmond, enter the grand stand, and occasionally his eyes sought
them.
“June,” said Zona, “I think your brother is just splendid! I think he
is the handsomest fellow in the whole school!”
June smiled.
“I am glad you think so,” she said.
“I know lots of girls who think so,” declared Zona, flashing Doris a
glance.
“I hope he wins this game to-day,” murmured June. “It will mean
so much to him. It will give him courage and confidence.”
 “Of course he will,” nodded Zona.
“Oh, it isn’t sure. It is going to be a hard game. Every one says
Dick Merriwell acknowledged it would be a hard game.”
“Why didn’t he pitch?”
“Yes, why didn’t he?” broke from Doris.
“I don’t know,” June confessed. “It does seem strange he should
use Chester in such a game.”
“Perhaps he was afraid,” suggested Zona.
“Oh, I don’t believe that!” June exclaimed immediately.
“Nor I,” said Doris.
“Still you can’t tell,” persisted Zona. “Of course, he would hate to
lose a game. It would hurt his record.”
“I don’t believe he would put any one else in to pitch for that
reason,” declared Chester’s sister. “It’s not like him.”
“You think it isn’t like him,” smiled Zona, in a knowing manner.
“But I believe you’re mistaken.”
“Why are you always against Dick, Zona?” demanded Doris, with a
touch of resentment.
“Oh, I’m not! You’re quite mistaken if you think I am. Only I don’t
believe he is such a very superior boy, anyway. Even Chester says
his success is mainly good luck.”
“Like other fellows,” observed June, “Chester says many things he
doesn’t mean.”
At this point O’Rouke hit the ball and drove out a liner, which
Obediah Tubbs failed to reach, although he jumped for it.
The batter was a swift runner, and he started instantly when the
bat hit the ball. Getting such a good start, he crossed first and
dashed for second.
Both Jolliby and Flint raced after the ball, but Jolliby’s legs carried
him to it first. He caught it up and wheeled, seeing that O’Rouke was
trying to stretch the hit into a two-bagger.
In the matter of throwing the lanky centre-fielder of the home
team was a wonder. He now sent the ball on a dead line into the
hands of Obediah Tubbs, who received it and jumped into the air as
O’Rouke slid, spikes first, for the bag. The runner made the slide in
that manner in order to drive Tubbs away; but the leap of the fat
boy in the air permitted him to escape being spiked, and he came
down with all his weight fairly on the sliding player.
Obediah’s bulk stopped O’Rouke as if the fellow had struck a stone
wall. His foot was six inches from the bag, and Tubbs had fallen on
him.
“Judgment!” cried the fat boy shrilly. “Dern my picter! He came
near opening a seam in me that time! But, by Jim! I bet he won’t try
to put his calks into me again!”
In truth the breath had been knocked out of O’Rouke, and he lay
still for four or five seconds after Obed got up.
“The man is out!” was the umpire’s decision.
“What a shame!” yelled Ted Smart.
Arlington walked down toward second, receiving the ball from
Tubbs as the latter tossed it to him.
“You nailed him fast, Obed, my boy,” he said.
“You bet I did, by jinks!” grinned Tubbs.
“Why didn’t they get an elephant to play second base!” snarled
O’Rouke, as he brushed the dust from his suit and walked off the
diamond.
“Struck a snag, didn’t you, Mike?” asked Tom Grace, the captain of
the Great Northern, as O’Rouke returned to the bench.
“That’s what I did,” nodded the fellow. “I thought I’d fix him with
my spikes that trip, but he just jumped into the air and came down
on me like a brick block. I thought he had broken every rib in my
body. You fellows want to look out for him when you slide to
second.”
Hardy, the next batter, sent a nasty little bounder down to Bradley,
who fumbled it long enough for the batter to safely reach first.
“Now we’re going, boys,” laughed Grace, as he stepped out to hit.
“We might as well clinch the game right here in this inning.”
“Of course you will do it!” cried Ted Smart. “We know you will!
We’ll take delight in seeing you clinch the game!”
Chester held Hardy close to first, but the fellow was a good base
runner, and he started to steal on the second ball pitched.
Grace gave his bat a wild flourish in front of Buckhart, but the
Texan was undisturbed by this, and he proceeded to snap the ball on
a line to Tubbs, who caught it in time to be waiting for Hardy as the
latter made a desperate lunge for the bag.
“Tag, you’re it!” piped the fat boy, as he “nailed” the ball onto the
runner.
Three men were out, and the Great Northern had not scored in
the first inning. Although they were surprised by the result, the
players trotted onto the field, laughing and joking. There were three
pitchers with the team, and they had decided to use their weakest
man in the box, for they were sure he would be good enough to
hold the cadets down.
The next surprise came when Gardner bunted the second ball
pitched and scudded down to first with such speed that he reached
the bag safely.
“Dear me, isn’t that too bad!” cried Ted Smart, as the Fardale
cheer died away.
“That’s the tut-tut-tut-time you fuf-fuf-fuf-fooled him!” laughed
Chip Jolliby, prancing about on the coach line back of first base.
Barron Black, the second hitter, finally picked out a good one and
sacrificed himself in driving Gardner down to second.
With one man out, Dave Flint came up. Flint was beyond question
one of the finest batters on the Fardale team. He seldom lifted a ball
into the air, and his line drives were generally safety placed. On this
occasion he selected an outcurve that was on the outer corner and
lined it into right field.
With a good lead off second, Gardner literally flew over third and
came home on the throw to the plate. This throw enabled Flint to
reach second.
“That doesn’t amount to anything,” declared the captain of the
visitors. “We can give you a dozen runs and then beat you out.”
“’Ow remarkable!” drawled Billy Bradley. “’Ow hextremely
confident you hare!”
Dick was directing the game by signals from the bench, having a
bat in his hands, which he held in various ways understood by all the
players. At the same time he was talking to Arlington.
“You’re getting the support,” he said. “If they back you up that
way you will make those fellows hustle to win this game. They are
overconfident now and think they can take it anyhow. The time for
us to get a start is right away.”
“But they are hitters!” retorted Chester. “By George! I did my best
to fool those fellows and they got at the ball!”
Dick nodded.
“They know how to hit, all right,” he admitted. “It depends a great
deal on your success in keeping them from hitting safely at critical
times. I want you to win this game, Arlington, and I sincerely hope
you do.”
Billy Bradley was the batter, but his hit to right bounded straight
into the fielder’s hands, and he was thrown out at first. At the same
time Flint was held on third by the catcher.
Chip Jolliby now strode out, and Factor, the pitcher, paused to
laugh at him.
“Where did this chalk mark come from?” chuckled Factor. “Bet you
have to stand twice in a place to cast a shadow.”
“You’re awful fuf-fuf-fuf-funny!” chattered Chip. “Just you pup-
pup-pup-pitch the ball, and perhaps you won’t fuf-fuf-fuf-feel so fuf-
fuf-fuf-funny!”
“Try this,” invited Factor, as he sent in a high one.
Jolliby caught it on the end of the bat and drove it over the infield,
bringing Flint home.
Then came big Bob Singleton. The cadets were wildly excited, for
they believed Bob would improve this opportunity to slug the ball.
Singleton went after it hard, but Factor was on his mettle, and big
Bob finally fanned, which retired Fardale with two runs in the first.
“What are you doing, Factor?” muttered Grace, as he walked in
with the pitcher. “They hit you that trip.”
“Oh, what’s the use!” returned Factor. “We can take this game any
time we want it. I am not going to pitch my arm off for a lot of kids
like these.”
“Better not fool with them too much. We can’t afford to let them
beat us.”
“They can’t win this game in a thousand years!” was the retort.
Although the Great Northern went after runs in the second inning
and succeeded in getting a man on third and another on second,
with only one man out, a beautiful play extinguished their hopes and
shut them off with startling suddenness. At this the cadets rose in a
body and gave the Fardale cheer.
“That was squeezing out of a tight corner,” confessed Arlington, as
he reached the bench. “They had me guessing then.”
“Get at it, boys, and make some more runs!” urged Dick.
Obediah Tubbs was distinctly seen to shut his eyes and dodge
awkwardly as the first ball was pitched. It struck him glancingly, and
the umpire sent him to first.
“The next time I will take a wing off you, Fatty!” declared Factor.
“You want to look out for that!”
“Dern your picter! You will have to put more speed into it than
that!” retorted Obed, having reached the bag. “I’d never knowed I
was hit if the empire hadn’t told me to take my base.”
Buckhart seemed eager to hit, and Factor now tried to coax him
into going after bad ones. The result was that Brad finally worked
out a pass to first, and two runners were on the bags when
Arlington stepped out to the plate.
There was a hush.
“Now watch him!” growled Hector Marsh, nudging Fred Preston.
“He thinks he will do something great! Bet he strikes out.”
“I will bet he doesn’t get a safe hit,” said Preston.
“Look at the pose he assumes!” sneered Walker. “Wouldn’t that
freeze your feet!”
After a wide out, Chester let a good one pass, and a strike was
called on him. Factor tried to deceive him with a drop, but Chester
was wary and stopped the swing of his bat so quickly that the
umpire declared it a ball.
“Oh, hit it! hit it!” exclaimed the pitcher. “What are you making
motions like that for?”
Arlington did not reply. With the next ball pitched, however, he
swung and met it full and fair. At first it seemed certain the ball
would go over the fence, and a roar of delight rose from the cadets.
It struck against the top of the fence, however, and bounded back.
Although it did not go over, this hit was sufficient to let both Tubbs
and Buckhart score.
 Immediately the cadets began to sing “Fardale’s Way.”
Factor now keyed himself up and pitched at his best. Gardner
drove out a short fly that was captured, while Black followed with a
longer one that was taken by an outfielder, on which Arlington
reached third. Flint now came up once more and was given an
ovation. This time he drove a hot one along the ground, and Grace
barely touched it as it went bounding past. On this Arlington scored.
The Fardale boys were wild with delight. They shouted until they
were hoarse.
Bradley did his best to follow the good example that had been set
for him, but at last Factor woke up and struck the latter out, which
retired the home team; but not, however, until three tallies had been
added to their score, which left them, at the close of the second
inning, five in the lead.
 CHAPTER III.
GREAT NORTHERN FINDS ARLINGTON.

By this time the cadets were jubilant, and Chester Arlington was
greatly puffed up over his success. The Fardale boys had anticipated
nothing like this, and they were beginning to believe their team
would take the game with ease.
“This is Arlington’s day,” declared Clint Shaw. “He struck it right
this time.”
“He’s pitching a great game,” muttered Tom Walker.
“Rats!” growled Marsh. “Pitching nothing! It’s the support he’s
had. Those chaps have hit him right along, but good luck has
prevented them from piling up runs.”
“There has been lots of luck to it,” nodded Preston.
“I should say so!” snarled Marsh; “but you fellows wait—wait and
see! If they keep on hitting the ball that way, they will put him to the
stable before the game is over.”
Again Arlington’s support enabled him to hold the enemy down
and keep them from scoring.
Chester was in high spirits as he came in to the bench and sat
down beside Merriwell.
“I thought I could hold them down to-day,” he laughed.
“You’re doing well,” declared Dick. “Keep the good work up.”
At the first opportunity Buckhart slid up to Dick’s side and
muttered:
“You want to watch him close, partner. See how those fellows
found the ball. Don’t sit still and let them pound out a victory when
they get started. If we can hold them down now we have got the
game. Arlington will take all the credit if we win.”
 “He deserves some credit,” declared Dick.
“But you can see the kind of support he is getting. Why, Gardner
could pitch a winning game with that support!”
Although June Arlington was well pleased by what was happening,
she knew enough about baseball to understand that great credit was
due her brother’s backers for the success he was having.
Zona Desmond, however, did not look at it in this light.
“I knew what he could do if he had the chance,” laughed Zona.
“He hasn’t been given a fair show before this. Now, just look what is
happening, and he is pitching against the hardest team Fardale will
have to face this season. Aren’t you delighted, June?”
“Of course I am,” nodded June.
“But I think it was funny of Dick to put him into such a hard
game,” declared Zona. “If Dick is the greatest pitcher in this school,
why doesn’t he pitch the hard games and let the other fellows pitch
the easier ones?”
“Perhaps he has a good reason for not pitching to-day.”
The yellow-haired girl gave her head a toss.
“Very likely he didn’t care about taking chances himself. He was
afraid.”
“You know better, Zona!” burst from Doris. “You know Dick is not
afraid of anything!”
“Oh, that’s what you think! Other people may think differently.”
“I am sure Doris is right,” said June quietly. “I know Dick is afraid
of nothing.”
“Well, it is a fine thing for a fellow when every girl he knows
seems to fancy him such a wonder!” retorted Zona, with an
unpleasant laugh.
The third inning proved to be a whitewash, Fardale not even
succeeding in getting a player down to first.
In the fourth inning the Great Northern got a man to third base
with only one out. But Chester’s success made him confident of
shutting off the score. His confidence vanished, however, when the
next player lined the ball out for two bags and the enemy secured a
run.
 Buckhart glanced toward Captain Merriwell and shook his head.
Nevertheless, Dick did not seem at all disturbed, although Tom
Grace was roaring with laughter on the coaching line and declaring
that the slaughter had begun.
“Accidents will happen, old man,” said Gardner, as he returned the
ball to Chet. “Don’t mind that.”
“But you should have stopped it!” declared Arlington.
“Why, I couldn’t touch it!”
“You didn’t try!”
Earl’s face flushed.
“Oh, he has had his lesson!” averred Grace. “He knows how those
liners feel! Bet his hands are burning yet!”
“If you’re afraid,” said Chet, “you had better let some one else
play that position.”
This injustice touched Gardner keenly, but he made no retort.
The following batter lifted a long one into the field, and the runner
on second believed he saw his opportunity to score.
By a splendid run Black succeeded in pulling the fly down, upon
which he immediately threw to Gardner, who wheeled and snapped
the ball to Tubbs for a double play.
This splendid work delighted the cadets and relieved Arlington. As
he came in to the bench, however, Chester was growling at Gardner.
“If you had stopped the liner,” he said, “they could not have
scored! You didn’t go after it until it was past you!”
Earl was beginning to get sore over this, and he gave Chet a
resentful look as he warmly retorted:
“If you’re not satisfied with my playing I will get out of the game!”
“That will do, both of you!” said Dick sharply. “No one was to
blame for that run. And no man in Gardner’s place could have
touched the ball.”
At this Chester suddenly shut up, although he continued to feel
angered because the run had been made.
“We still have a good lead,” said Dick. “Get into it, fellows, and
hold them down! Perhaps you can add a few tallies right here!”
The cadets had not lost their confidence, and by a combination of
good work and good luck they also landed a man on third with only
one out.
By this time Factor was nervous. He had not anticipated this sort
of a game, and he realized that his reputation with his own team
depended on his success in the present contest. Fully aware that he
was regarded as the weakest pitcher the Great Northern had, and
that he had been used against the schoolboys because Grace did not
wish to wear out a better man, he saw before him the prospect of
release in case Fardale should win.
The cheering and singing of the cadets seemed once more to put
vigor and determination into the players, and they went after Factor
hotly. The next batter happened to be Singleton, and big Bob got in
one of his wonderful long drives to the fence, on which he took
three bags and sent a man ahead of him home.
Factor’s nervousness increased.
“What’s the matter with you, Bill?” growled Tom Grace. “Are you
going to let those kids blanket you? You claim to be a pitcher!”
Factor set his teeth, determined to end it right there.
Once more Obediah Tubbs managed to get hit by the ball, and this
added to the unsteadiness of the visiting pitcher. Then came
Buckhart, who smashed the leather a fierce one, scoring Singleton
and landing Tubbs on third, while he himself took second.
Arlington walked out, smiling and confident, resolved to clinch his
own game then and there. As a result of his overconfidence Factor
was able to make him swing ineffectively twice and might have
struck him out had he not lost control and hit Chet with the ball.
This filled the bases.
Grace called for “time” and walked into the diamond.
“See here, Bill Factor,” he said under his breath, “if you’re off your
trolley you had better go to the bench. I will put Peterson in.”
“Don’t,” begged Factor. “I’m all right! I can win this game!”
“Play ball! Play ball!” roared the cadets.
“Dear me!” shouted Ted Smart, waving his arms in the air. “It can’t
be you’re frightened! Why, of course you’re not frightened! We know
you will win! You can’t help winning! It’s just as easy as can be.
You’re only playing a lot of kids, you know.”
 “Poor old Factor! Poor old Factor!” sang a lot of the cadets in
unison.
“I will give you one more show,” growled Grace. “It’s your last
chance!”
This knowledge did not add to Factor’s steadiness, and, after
having one strike and two balls called, Gardner tucked in a beautiful
little single that scored two men.
Immediately Grace ordered Factor out of the box and replaced him
with Peterson, who was a left-hander. Peterson had a nasty drop
that curved in toward the batter’s ankles, and in short order he
retired the home team.
At this stage of the game, however, the score was eight to one in
favor of Fardale, and Arlington confidently declared he would never
let the enemy overtake them.
The next two innings proved to be hard ones, and neither side
scored.
The cadets saw that in Peterson they had a problem that was
difficult to solve. Had this pitcher been put in at the beginning of the
game, it is doubtful if Fardale would have obtained a run. As it was,
it began to appear as if the schoolboys had secured a lead sufficient
to give them the game.
No longer were the members of the athletic team laughing and
joking, for at last they realized that they were “up against the real
thing.”
As the innings passed and the home team continued to hold its
lead, Arlington’s confidence increased until it reached the point
where he was altogether too sure. Overconfidence is often as fatal in
a hard game of baseball as lack of confidence. It has defeated many
a team that should have been victorious.
The seventh proved to be a disastrous inning for Fardale. The
visitors came to bat with the head of their list up.
Ligner justified his name and his position by catching an outcurve
near the end of the bat and driving out a two-bagger. O’Rouke
followed with a clean single to right field, and Ligner came home
with three feet to spare. The throw to the plate in an effort to stop
this run let O’Rouke advance to second.