a
rifle and could hardly be seen from the rear seats of the amphitheater.
There was a word spoken by the timekeeper, and a gloved hand flashed
down and up, and the ball danced and spun and leaped and rolled as shot
after shot followed it with a precision and speed which brought the
audience to a heavy silence. Taking the gun which Buck tossed to him
and throwing it into the empty holster, he awaited the signal, and then
smoke poured from his hips and the ball jumped continuously. Both guns
emptied in the two-hand shooting, he wheeled and jerked loose the guns
which the marshal wore, spinning around without a pause, the target
hardly ceasing in its rolling. Under his arms he shot, backward and
between his legs; leaping from side to side, ducking and dodging,
following the ball wherever it went. Reloading the weapons quickly,
he stepped forward and followed the ball until once more his guns
were empty. Then he turned and walked back to the side of the marshal,
smiling a little. His friends, and there were many in the crowd, torn
from their affected nonchalance by shooting the like of which they had
not attributed even to him, roared and shouted and danced in a frenzy of
delight.

Red also threw his guns to Hopalong, who caught them in the air and
turning, faced Tex, who stood white of face and completely lost in the
forgetfulness of admiration and amazement. The guns jerked again and a
button flew from the buckskin shirt of his enemy; another tore a flower
from his breast and another drove it into the ground at his feet as
others stirred his hair and cut the buckle off his pretty sombrero. Tex,
dazed, but wise enough to stand quiet, felt his belt tear loose and drop
to his feet, felt a spur rip from its strap and saw his cigarette leap
from his lips. Throwing the guns to Red, Hopalong laughed and abruptly
turned and was lost in the crowd.

For several seconds there was silence, but when the dazed minds realized
what their eyes had seen, there arose a roar which shook the houses in
the town. Roar after roar thundered forth and was sent crashing back
again by the distant walls, sweeping down on the discomfited dude and
causing him to slink into the crowd to find a place less conspicuous. He
was white yet and keen fear gripped his heart as he realized that he had
come to the carnival with the expressed purpose of killing his enemy in
fair combat. The whole town knew it, for he had taken pains to spread
the news.

The wom