THE BUFFALO. 295 



crest of the hill, saw him lying down, one hundred yards 

 distant, looking back over his right shoulder at me, I had 

 never yet killed an Antelope, and, taking careful aim, 

 fired. The ball struck behind the shoulder, passed for- 

 ward between the shoulder-blade and ribs into the neck, 

 and, ranging parallel with the windpipe, clipi:)ed three of 

 the ridge-like projections thereon, and stopped in the flesh 

 of his neck. 



Jumping to his feet, he ran some fifty yards, and I thought 

 him unhurt, when, trying to draw his breath and the blood 

 running into his lungs, he lowered his head, and the wheez- 

 ing sound of his breathing gave notice of a hit. Still he ran 

 on over the hill. Following, I jumped him again, shot him 

 through the paunch as he ran; jumped him still again, and 

 shot him through the heart, when he ran one hundred and 

 fifty yards, and was not done struggling when I reached him 

 — the hardest-lived animal I ever saw, for, be it remembered, 

 the gun was fifty-six caliber. 



This seemed a lucky beginning of the day's hunt, and, 

 dressing him, I hurried on after Buffaloes. A herd soon 

 appearing, I crawled up, and being careful of distance, suc- 

 ceeded in killing a noble bull, and repeated the operation 

 twice more during the day. Feeling jubilant at my success, 



I returned to camp, and had just told Y the story of 



my good luck when the others returned. 



' ' What luck ( ' ' asked M . 



"The boy has got three Buffaloes and an Antelope," 



replied Y , before I could speak. " What luck did you 



have r' he continued. 



•' We have shot eigiit," replied M . 



My heart sunk, for I had hoped to equal his score, and 

 had worked hard for it. Not until I felt thoroughly hum- 

 bled did we learn that they h[id shot at eight Buffaloes and 

 succeeded in killing only oii(% which proved to be a 



wounded one, and E afterward told me it sraelled so 



badly they did not go within thirty yards of it. 



Naturally enough, I felt better, and as M soon after- 

 ward began telling, in a very modified tone of voice, of his 



