bed.

"Minute later I was asleep, but didn't seem my eyes were more'n close
when he gives me a shake.

"'Five o'clock,' says he, 'and time to start.'

"We'd gone to bed about twelve but I wasn't going to let him put
anything over on me. He bums a breakfast off the hotel, stalls 'em on
his bill, and then we hit the road, him singing every step of the way
and me near dead for sleep. I got so mad I couldn't talk. That damn
singing sure was riding my nerves. I tried to take it out on a squirrel
that run across the road but I missed him.

"'Tell you what, partner,' says Perris, 'for a quick shot, shooting from
the hip is the only stuff.'

"'Shooting from the hip at squirrels?' says I. 'I've read about that sort
of stuff in a book, but it never was done out of print.'

"'Just a matter of practice,' says he.

"'Huh,' says I, 'I'm here to see and do my talking afterwards.'

"Just then another squirrel pops across the trail dodging like a
yearling trying to get back to the herd. Quick as a wink out comes Red's
gun. It just does a flip out of the holster and bang! The dust jumped
right under the squirrel's belly. Bang! goes the gat again and Mister
Squirrel's tail is chopped plumb in two and then he ducks down his hole
by the side of the trail and we hear him squealing and chattering