to fetch; and she was greeted
by a loud laugh as he led her up.

"Now, look'ee hyur, boyees," said he, halting in front of the crowd.
"Ee may larf, an' gabble, an' grin till yur sick in the guts--yur may!
but this child's a-gwine to take the shine out o' that Injun's shot--he
is, or bust a-tryin'."

Several of the bystanders remarked that that was likely enough, and that
they only waited to see in what manner it was to be done. No one who
knew him doubted old Rube to be, as in fact he was, one of the very best
marksmen in the mountains--fully equal, perhaps, to the Indian; but it
was the style and circumstances which had given such _eclat_ to the shot
of the latter. It was not every day that a beautiful girl could be
found to stand fire as the squaw had done; and it was not every hunter
who would have ventured to fire at a mark so placed. The strength of
the feat lay in its newness and peculiarity. The hunters had often
fired at the mark held in one another's hands. There were few who would
like to carry it on their head. How, then, was Rube to "take the shine
out o' that Injun's shot"? This was the question that each was asking
the other, and which was at length put directly to Rube himself.

"Shet up your meat-traps," answered he, "an I'll show 'ee. In the fust
place, then, 'ee all see that this hyur prickly ain't more'n hef size o'
the squash?"

"Yes, sartainly," answered several voices. "That wur one sukumstance in
his favour. Wa'nt it?"

"It wur! it wur!"

"Wal, hyur's another. The Injun, 'ee see, shot his mark off o' the
head. Now, this child's a-gwine to knock his'n off o' the tail. Kud
yur Injun do that? Eh, boyees?"

"No, no!"

"Do that beat him, or do it not, then?"

"It beats him!"

"It does!"

"Far better!"

"Hooray!" vociferated several voices, amidst yells of laughter. No one
dissented, as the hunters, pleased with the joke, were anxious to see it
carried through.

Rube did not detain them long. Leaving his rifle in the hands of his
friend Garey, he led the old mare up towards the spot that had been
occupied by the Indian girl. Reaching this, he halted.

We all expected to see him turn the animal with her side towards us,
thus leaving her body out of range. It soon became evident that this
was not the old fellow's intention. It would have spoiled the look of
the thing, had he done so; and that idea was no doubt running in his
mind.

Choosing a place where the ground