quandering good dollars on several dead-sure things. I've got more
sense and less dollars."

"Wait and see!" sputtered Rattleton.

"Who is to shoot first?" Badger asked, walking toward Merriwell's crowd.

Badger had noticed the character of the fellows who had gathered round
him, and he was nettled. On the outskirts he even saw the face of Donald
Pike--once his friend, now hated by him as a foe.

"Suit yourself," Merriwell answered.

"We'll flip a coin," said Badger.

One of the sophomores drew out a half-dollar and twirled it in the air.

"I'll take heads!" said Merry.

But the head of the coin fell downward, and Badger, taking the gun given
him, walked out to the line and faced the traps.

"We will have no signaling," he said, turning round and facing
Merriwell's crowd. "As we step up here, let the traps be sprung, and
we'll shoot at the birds, whether ready or not."

He was supremely confident in his own abilities.

"All right. Any way to suit you. Go ahead!"

Before Badger could turn back, he heard the sound made by the traps
springing. Two birds shot out, one toward the right and the other
straight away.

Bang! bang! Badger wheeled and fired quickly, and made a clean kill of
both birds. There was a skirmish fire of clapping hands in the circle of
his admirers.

"Fine work!" Merriwell admitted, as he stepped into place with Bart's
gun.

He stood with his gun down until the birds were hurled from the traps,
then, with a couple of quick snapshots, smashed them to pieces.

"Whoop-e-ee-ee!" squealed Danny Griswold, turning a handspring. "This
soft snap can shoot a little!"

Again the Westerner made a clean kill of two birds. Frank followed him
and did the same.

Five times more the Kansan did this, and Merriwell duplicated the
performance. The antagonistic crowds ceased to whoop and shout their
exclamations of pleasure. The thing was becoming interesting. It began
to seem that Badger and Merriwell would again tie. Then Badger, becoming
overconfident, missed a bird. He stepped back, with a look of chagrin on
his face.

Frank stepped forward, pitched up his gun as the birds were thrown--and
missed one! Merriwell missed with the left barrel of his gun, and Badger
had missed with the left barrel.

"Now you're monkeying!" Hodge grumbled, as Merriwell retired into the
circle of his friends. "Don't do it, Merry! What did you do that for?
You could have made the whole string straight, without a single