A POT-HUNTER'S DEFIANCE 89 



it needed no great shrewdness to guess that the 

 butt would fly to the shoulder if the implied threat 

 were unheeded. 



The game warden stopped. He seemed to be 

 considering the chances. 



'* 'Burglarious entry,' I heard it called a 

 minute ago," the pot-hunter continued grimly, 

 *'an' I'll have a witness to the act." 



The stranger knew that the game warden carried 

 a revolver and, fearing that a tragedy might re- 

 sult, he stepped between the two men. 



''You're Mr. Adam?" he queried. 



" I 'm Bull Adam, ' ' came the reply, " as yo ' said, 

 'a crank and an inhospitable one at that.' I'm 

 goin' to talk to yo', stranger, in a minute." 



He paused. 



"But first," he continued slowly, "that slouch 

 what calls himself a 'game warden' has got to get 

 ten clear feet away from that doorway or I '11 pep- 

 per him full o ' holes. ' ' 



The stranger kept between the two. 



"You'd better get back, Thompson," he ad- 

 vised; "I warned you, before." 



"Who wants yo ' warnin 's ? " came the angiy re- 

 tort. "Yo' Washington riggers think yo' know 

 it all. I 'd ha ' had the goods on him, but for yo ' ! " 



