OF A RANCHMAN 249 



western light. My rifle bead was just above 

 him; pulling it down I fired, as the buck 

 paused for a second to recover himself from 

 his last great bound, and with a crash the 

 mighty antlered beast came rolling down 

 the hill, the bullet having broken his back 

 behind the shoulders, afterwards going out 

 through his chest. 



At times a little caution must be used in 

 approaching a wounded buck, for if it is not 

 disabled it may be a rather formidable an- 

 tagonist. In my own experience I have 

 never known a wounded buck to do more 

 than make a pass with his horns, or, in 

 plunging when the knife enters his throat, 

 to strike with his forefeet. But one of my 

 men was regularly charged by a great buck, 

 which he had wounded, and which was 

 brought to bay on the ice by a dog. It 

 seemed to realize that the dog was not the 

 main antagonist, and knocking him over 

 charged straight past him at the man, and 

 he latter had in his haste not reloaded 

 his rifle, he might have been seriously in- 



