78 The King of the Thundering Herd 



Anderson reached for the shotgun, and 

 piled another bull upon the first, although 

 he had to finish him with a Colt's revolver, 

 which was destined to stand them in much 

 better stead than the guns. 



It was with difficulty that the muzzle- 

 loading rifles could be loaded while lying 

 down in the cramped position under the 

 wagon, but the Colt's revolver, which was 

 a forty-four and just as effective at this 

 short range as a rifle, could be readily re- 

 loaded, and Mrs. Anderson kept its five 

 chambers full. 



Old Abe, the mule upon the right side of 

 the wagon, now took his turn in the fray, 

 for a bull galloped too close to him, raking 

 Abe's flank with his sharp horn. The 

 mule let both heels fly, striking another 

 bull fairly in the forehead, and felling him 

 to the ground. But a buffalo's skull is as 

 thick as a board, and the bull jumped up 

 and galloped on with his fellows. 



