THE BEAR-SLAYER. 139 



went straight to the express office, and 

 sent all the way to the East for a costly 

 and first-class shotgun. 



The little brown Aztec Indian did noth 

 ing of that sort; he kept by himself, kept 

 his own counsel, and so far as any of the 

 boys could find out, paid no attention to 

 the proffered reward for scalps. 



Bill Peterson borrowed his older broth 

 er's gun and brought in two rabbits the 

 next day. The Boston boy, with an eye 

 wide open to future profits to himself, went 

 with Peterson to the head gardener, and 

 holding up first one dead jack-rabbit by 

 the ear, and then the other, coolly and de 

 liberately counted off four ears. 



The gardener grudgingly counted out 

 two dimes, and then, with a grunt of sat 

 isfaction, carried away the two big rabbits 

 by their long hind legs. 



As the weeks wore by, several other dead 

 rabbits were reported, and despite the 

 grumbling of the head gardener, the tu 

 multuous and merry students had quite a 

 10 



