The other members of the flock had forgiven him for the rancorous and sulky spirit which had made him refuse to catch in the ball-game against Hartford, in which Buck Badger had pitched, but they had not forgotten it.

They were courteous, but they were not cordial, and Hodge felt it.
Buck Badger came upon the ground, but without a gun.

He was alone, too, and he kept away from Merriwell's crowd.

He had not learned to like Merriwell's friends, any of them, and he detested Hodge.
Having taken his gun from its case, Merriwell put it together, and opened a box of loaded shells, which he placed on the ground.

The gun was a beautiful twelve-gage hammerless, of late design and American manufacture, bored for trap shooting.