killing both
birds. Merriwell and others struck both birds, but Diamond made the
cleanest kill. Danny ambled out again with his repeater, and this time
brought down a bird.

"Talk about easy things!" he spouted, thrusting out his chest as he
pranced back.

"That's right!" howled Bink. "You're the easiest thing on the planet.
That bird was broken and all ready to fall to pieces when it left the
trap. I paid the boy to fix it for you."

"You're another!" Danny declared. "I hit that bird fair and square. See
if you can do better."

"I'm going to hit both!" Bink declared, and for a wonder he did.

"Take me home to mommer!" squealed Danny.

"Talk about shooting!" exclaimed Bink, sticking his hat on the back of
his head. "What's the matter with that, eh?"

"Oh, you're a wonder!" exclaimed Danny. "Accidents are bound to happen
sometimes, you know."

Browning made clean misses, and Diamond got only one bird. The shooting
of most of the others was not of the best.

"I suppose there isn't any way to clip the wings of those things?"
grumbled Dismal, who had missed. "They get up and get away so fast that
I can't pull on them half the time. I could hit my bird if I could find
it. But when I point my gun at it and pull the trigger, it isn't there."

"Pull ahead of it," Merriwell advised.

"Yes, you must use ahead work," said Bink. "If you have a head, that is
what it's for. That's the way I did, and you saw the result. I can get
'em every time now."

As the shooting continued, it was seen that Badger was doing good work,
though nothing at all phenomenal. He stepped into position with an air
of confidence, fired quickly, and then stepped back. But he kept away
from Merriwell's crowd, mingling with others from Yale whom he knew.

Hodge's score and the Westerner's were nearly alike. Hodge saw it and
squirmed. Then Merriwell, who had made only one miss, scored two "goose
eggs," and Badger climbed up to him.

"I don't like that," Bart grumbled. "You're not doing your best, Merry.
Badger may beat you."

Merriwell was cleaning out and cooling his gun--Bart's gun--which both
were using, and which had grown hot and foul from rapid firing. The
first round of twenty shots was nearing its close. Only four more shots
were to be fired in it, at two pairs of birds. Badger had to his credit
thirteen hits and three misses, and Merriwell the same.

"If you should miss one of the four and Badger should hit them all you
would be bea