West--from some place where everybody knows how to
shoot," declared Walt Baxter. "I heard him telling some of the fellows
about it one day. He said he had learned to ride and to shoot when he was
only six or seven years old. And he can ride, all right enough, too. I
saw him do it one day when I was on the road back of the Point."

"Well, I think a few of us can do a little shooting," declared Andy.
"Don't forget that out of a possible twenty-five points Fred once made
nineteen and Jack eighteen."

"Oh, yes, I remember that," put in Ned Lowe. "That was the time Lew
Barrow scored twenty."

"Yes, and the time I scored the whole of ten," chuckled Andy. "But I
don't care," he added proudly. "I guess I brought down my share of small
game when we went hunting."

The talk concerning Brassy Bangs wanting to run for the office of major
was true, and the cadet was much disgusted when he found that the
regulations of the Hall forbade this.

"I can beat any one of them at shooting," he grumbled to Paul Halliday,
one of his particular cronies and the fellow who had aided in trying to
get up the sleighing party.

"Of course you can," was Halliday's quick reply. Then he went on: "Say,
Lest, why don't you challenge Jack Rover and his cousin Fred to shoot
against you? You can show 'em up in great shape. It would be better than
fighting them."

"I'll do it!" announced Brassy promptly, for the idea was one that
appealed to him. "I'll shoot against them with either pistols or rifles,
just as they may choose. I'll show 'em up for a couple of dubs when it
comes to handling firearms."

"That's the talk!" broke in Billy Sands, another of Bangs' chums. "You
say the word and Paul and I will take the challenge to the Rovers right
away."

"All provided Colonel Colby or Captain Dale will permit the contest,"
said Brassy sourly. "Maybe that's another one of the things their dirty
rules won't allow."

The matter was talked over for a while longer, and the three boys went
off to interview Captain Dale. He listened to them with a smile, and then
nodded.

"Of course you can have a contest of that sort if you desire, Bangs," he
said presently.

Following this the challenge to Jack and Fred was promptly issued. It, of
course, came as a surprise to the Rovers.

"We ought not to dirty our hands with a fellow like Bangs," declared the
young captain to Fred.

"Oh, we can't afford to refuse, Jack!" cried his cousin. "If we did the
fellows i