The Wit of the Wild 



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He was now above me and had so much the 

 advantage, if he dared to throw himself down, 

 that I confess to some timidity about going too 

 near, and therefore opened fire at the distance 

 of a dozen feet. 



None but a long practiced hand can attain to 

 accuracy with a " bulldog " pistol, short and 

 heavy, and the first ball passed through the 

 shell of earth beneath the living target, caus- 

 ing it to shrink down into a much smaller mark. 

 The next bullet sang close beside his head, now 

 stretched out with rigid, slender neck though 

 even to the last moment his mouth was never 

 opened, as the pictures invariably represent it 

 to be in such contests as this. 



The third bullet plowed a furrow across his 

 back and filled the animal with rage. Swing- 

 ing around like a flash of yellow light he thrust 

 his head straight toward me with vicious energy, 

 until more than half his body was extended be- 

 yond any support, and for an instant I thought 

 he meant to dart through the air like a living 

 lance. Dropping the revolver, I dashed for- 

 ward and with one blow of the snake-stick broke 

 + 100 



