122 THE CHAIRMAN EJECTED. 



adjusted the caps carefully, and stepped out of the window, 

 upon the narrow roof upon which it opens. I was then 

 just eighty feet from that cat convention. I addressed 

 myself to the chairman (the old Maltese) in a distinct and 

 audible voice and said, ' SCAT 1' He did'nt recognise my 

 right to the floor, but went right on with the business of the 

 meeting. ' SCAT !' cried I, more emphatically than before, 

 but was answered only by an extra shriek from the chairman, 

 and a fiercer scream from the whole assembly. ' SCAT I 

 once,' cried I again, as I brought my gun to a present. 

 ' SCAT ! twice,' and I aimed straight at the chairman, covering 

 half a dozen others in the range. ' SCAT ! three times,' and 

 I let drive. Bang ! went the right-hand barrel ; and bang t 

 went the left-hand barrel. Such scampering, such leaping 

 off the shed, such running away over the eaves of the out- 

 buildings, over the tops of the wood-sheds, were never seen 

 before. The echoes of the firing had scarcely died away, 

 when that whole assemblage was broken up and dispersed. 



" ' Thomas/ said I, the next morning to the boy who did 

 chores for us, ' there seems to be a cat asleep out on that 

 woodshed, go up and scare it away.' 



" Thomas clambered upon the shed and went up to where 

 that cat lay, and lifting it up by the tail, hallood back to 

 me, ' This cat can't be waked up ; it can't be scared away 

 its dead V After examining it for a moment ' Some- 

 body's .been a shootin' on it, by thunder,' as he tossed it down 

 into the yard. 



" ' You don't say so I' said I. 



