ot!" Merriwell commented.

Dismal Jones followed Badger, and knocked down the straightaway bird
which was sprung from the right-hand trap.

"Now the earth will fall!" squeaked Bink, for Browning's name was
called, and Bruce got up lazily from the ground and walked slowly into
position. Bruce disliked a light gun, and carried a heavy ten-gage,
notwithstanding the fact that trap-shooting rules required the users of
such guns to shoot from a longer distance. He believed that the heavier
weight and heavier load more than offset this.

Danny stuck his fingers into his ears as Bruce stood ready to fire the
"cannon." Then there was a thunderous report, as the clay bird flew
through the air, and was knocked to pieces by the impact of the shot.

"Was it an earthquake?" asked Bink, falling back on the ground. "He'll
be wanting to shoot a Krupp gun next!"

"Watch me this time!" said Danny, as he stepped into position. "It's
easier for me to do difficult things. If those traps would only throw
out a dozen birds at once, I'd show you some nice work!"

"Yes, you might get one out of the whole flock," said Diamond. "If it
was a very dense flock, you might get two."

Ten rounds had been fired, and two birds were to be thrown now at the
same time at unknown angles.

"Ready?" asked the boy.

"Pull!" commanded Danny, throwing up his gun.

The birds flew, but Danny did not shoot.

"I thought one was going to jump out of the right-hand trap," he
grinned, "and it didn't."

"Give him another chance," said Dismal. "He oughtn't to be forgiven for
anything, but we'll forgive him."

"Spit on your hands!" some one yelled.

Danny put down his gun, very deliberately spat on his hands, then took
up his gun again.

"Pull!" he commanded.

Two birds flew--one from the right-hand trap and one from the middle
trap. Bang! bang! Danny fired at both, but the birds sailed on and
descended in the grass.

"These shells aren't any good!" he asserted, looking wonderingly into
the powder-stained barrels of the gun. "Or else this gun isn't choked
right for trap shooting. I held on both of those birds."

"You mean you aren't choked right for trap shooting," said Bink, as
Danny came back.

"I'll choke you!" Danny cried, hurling himself on Stubbs and gripping
him by the throat.

"Stop it!" commanded Bruce, as they struggled on the grass. "If you
don't, we'll fire you out of the crowd."

Jack Diamond did the best shooting this time, cleanly