There was no sound, no smoke, no flame and not the slightest
jar.
Yet as Ned watched he saw the steel plate move slightly. The next
instant the scarecrow figure seemed to fly all to pieces. There was
a shower of straw, rags and old clothes, which fell in a shapeless
heap at the end of the range.
"Say. I guess you did for that fellow, all right!" exclaimed Ned.
"It looks so," admitted Tom, with a note of pride in his voice. "Now
we'll try another test."
As he laid aside his rifle in order to help Mr. Jackson shift the
steel plate there was a series of yells outside the shed.
"What's that?" asked Tom, in some alarm.
"Sounds like some one calling," answered Ned.
"It is," agreed Mr. Jackson. "Perhaps Eradicate's mule has gotten
loose. I guess we'd better--"
He did not finish, for the shouts increased in volume, and Tom and
Ned could hear some one yelling:
"I'll have the law on you for this! I'll have you arrested, Tom
Swift! What do you mean by trying to kill me? Where are you? Don't
try to hide away, now. You were trying to shoot me, and I'm not
going to have it!"
Some one pounded on the door of the shed.
"It's Barney Moker!" exclaimed Tom.
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