Then came the dull thud when the leaden ball beat itself shapeless
against the stone wall beside him.
The bullet had passed within an inch of Nick's ribs, and he knew at once
that he was now a mark for hidden foes.
Yet there had been no revolver report to suggest their location, and
Nick instantly surmised that the ball must have been discharged with an
air gun.
He knew that it must have come from some quarter behind him, however.
And he knew, too, how to bring his murderous assailants from their
secret cover.
As quick as a flash, the instant the ball smote the wall beside him,
Nick let go his hold upon the stone coping and dropped into the darkness
below the window, falling prostrate upon his back.
As he lay there his hand touched something hot, and he drew it nearer to
examine it.
It was the battered chunk of lead which had come within an inch of
ending his life.
"They meant business, for sure," he said to himself, while waiting for
his quick-witted ruse to operate. "I'm blessed if this affair is not
taking on a new and lively interest. I reckon there'll be more doing
to-night than I gave Patsy to believe.
"Ha, ha! The scoundrels are already breaking cover!"
His alert ears had detected a sound from the direction of the stable,
and now he silently drew his revolver and held it gripped by his side.
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