It was strange how the fellows on the shooting-grounds ranged themselves
into two companies--the supporters of Merriwell in one knot and the
supporters of the Kansan in the other. It was as if an invisible hand
had gone through the crowd and separated Merriwell's friends from his
foes. About Badger gathered Walter Gordan, Bertrand Defarge, Morton
Agnew, Gil Cowles, Mat Mullen, Lib Benson, Newt Billings, Chan Webb, and
more of the same sort, a number of them now Merriwell's pretended
friends, but all at heart his enemies. While about Merriwell swarmed his
friends tried and true, with Hodge, Browning, Diamond, Rattleton, Gamp,
Bink, and Dismal close to his person.
"Don't monkey with him," urged Bart, as Merriwell sent Danny and Bink
away for some shells and began to wipe out Bart's gun in readiness for
the shooting-contest. "Don't throw away any shots. Show those cads what
you can do. A lot of them are beginning to think that Badger is really a
better man than you are. If he defeats you----"
"He'll never defeat Merriwell!" asserted Rattleton. "Come off the dump!"
"Of course he can't!" added Diamond.
"There are no dead-sure things," droned Dismal. "I've been enticed into
squandering good dollars on several dead-sure things. I've got more
sense and less dollars.
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