One by one, from different angles, they began to shoot, and they were not firing at random.

A few bullets came straight in at the windows to pat into the walls; a few others ticked and splintered the edges of the windows; and most of them broke through the clay chinks between the logs.

It dawned upon Jean that these dangerous shots were not accident.

They were well aimed, and most of them hit low down.

The cunning rustlers had some unerring riflemen and they were picking out the vulnerable places all along the front of the cabin.