THE BUFFALO 



through the brush at the charging animal. It was 

 an excellent snapshot, and landed back of the ribs. 



When the buffalo broke through the screen of 

 brush I dashed after him, for I thought our only 

 chance of avoiding danger lay in keeping close track 

 of where that buffalo went. On the other side the 

 bushes I found a little grassy opening, and then a 

 small but dense thicket into which the animal had 

 plunged. To my left, C. was running up, followed 

 closely by Billy, who, with her usual good sense, 

 had figured out the safest place to be immediately 

 back of the guns. We came together at the thicket's 

 edge. 



The animal's movements could be plainly fol- 

 lowed by the sound of his crashing. We heard him 

 dash away some distance, pause, circle a bit to the 

 right, and then come rushing back in our direction. 

 Stooping low we peered into the darkness of the 

 thicket. Suddenly we saw him, not a dozen yards 

 away. He was still afoot, but very slow. I dropped 

 the magazine of five shots into him as fast as I could 

 work the lever. We later found all the bullet-holes 

 in a spot as big as the palm of your hand. These 

 successive heavy blows delivered all in the same place 

 were too much for even his tremendous vitality; and 

 slowly he sank on his side. 



369 



