THE MURDEROUS CAT 219 



they banged on every side, an', in half-an-lioiir, 

 there was thirty birds bagged. 



'^Then suddenly, heated like he'd been hurryin', 

 came the stranger. He looked at the six men an' 

 at the birds on the ground. 



''They waited for him to say some thin', but he 

 never peeped. He just looked 'em over, an' mov- 

 in' so quickly that no one saw it, he pulled an auto- 

 matic pistol from his pocket. 



"The shots went off, nigh as quick as yo' could 

 count, scarin' the gunners so they didn't have 

 nothin' to say. But there wasn't none 0' them 

 hit. They laughed. 



<( 'Tryui' to scare us," said Ned Thompson, 

 lurching forward. 



" 'I think you will be scared, as you call it,' said 

 the stranger; 'look at your trouser legs'! 



"Every one of 'em looked down, 



"There, in the loose flappin' trouser, near the 

 left shin, was a bullet hole. Not one was exactly 

 in the same place, dependin' on the way the wind 

 had flapped the cloth, but there wasn't none of 'em 

 barked and there wasn't a left trouser leg missed. 



"No one said a word. There ain't much yo' 

 can say against such shootin'. 



" 'The next man that I find shooting birds or 



