486 
A DEADLY WOUND. 
I was unfortunately so close to the rock that a small pro- 
jection of its right side completely concealed the hear 
from my view, while his whole fore-shoulders and head 
were exposed to the others. In fact, he saw the others 
before I saw him; and it was a sudden demonstration of 
flight on his part that had caused the unexpected dis- 
charge. 
“I sprang to my feet. wuth ringing ears, and looked 
anxiously over the boulder, which was now between the 
bear and myself. The sight which met my eyes was 
thrilling to behold 
“He w^as standing upright fipon his hind-legs, hugging 
the air at random with, frantic rage and fright, throwing 
his expanded jaws right and left with nervous jerks, 
Avrithing Avith strange pain, and growling with the 
strength of distant thunder. The hea\’-y ball of the 
rhinocei'os rifle had passed clean through his body in 
the region of the heart, and from the torn wounds thus 
created the red blood spouted with every agonized con- 
tortion. Its crimson hue indicated a vital source, and, as I 
gazed upon the spasmodic jets of the arterial stream, I 
felt that the day was ours. Slowly, and with deliberate 
movement, I pointed the musket between his very eyes 
while he was not more than ten feet from the muzzle. 
He was just about to close with us; but the ounce-ball 
stopped his spring. I imagined I could hear it as it 
crushed its resistless path through the hardened skull; 
but in this I was probably mistaken, as he could never 
have acted as he did subsequently with such a weight of 
lead in his brain. It doubtless glanced from the un- 
yielding bone after cracking it and bringing him down 
