to the camp. I therefore hurriedly sheathed my
knife, and laid hold of my rifle, which, according to custom, I had
taken the precaution to re-load.

I hesitated a moment whether to run to my horse and mount him, or to
fire from where I stood. That question, however, was settled by the
buffalo. The tree and the horse were to one side of the direction in
which he was running, but being attracted by the loud snorting of the
horse, which had begun to pitch and plunge violently, and deeming it
perhaps a challenge, the buffalo suddenly swerved from his course, and
ran full tilt upon the horse. The latter shot out instantly to the full
length of the trail-rope--a heavy "pluck" sounded in my ears, and the
next instant I saw my horse part from the tree, and scour off over the
prairie, as if there had been a thistle under his tail. I had knotted
the rope negligently upon the bit-ring, and the knot had "come undone."

I was chagrined, but not alarmed as yet. My horse would no doubt follow
back his own trail, and at the worst I should only have to walk to the
camp. I should have the satisfaction of punishing the buffalo for the
trick he had served me; and with this design I turned towards him.

I saw that he had not followed the horse, but was again heading himself
in my direction.

Now, for the first time, it occurred to me that I was in something of a
scrape. The bull was coming furiously on. Should my shot miss, or even
should it only wound him, how was I to escape? I knew that he could
overtake me in a three minutes' stretch; I knew that well.

I had not much time for reflection--not a moment, in fact: the
infuriated animal was within ten paces of me. I raised my rifle, aimed
at his fore-shoulder, and fired.

I saw that I had hit him; but, to my dismay, he neither fell nor
stumbled, but continued to charge forward more furiously than ever.

To re-load was impossible. My pistols had gone off with my horse and
holsters. Even to reach the tree was impossible; the bull was between
it and me.

To make off in the opposite direction was the only thing that held out
the prospect of five minutes' safety; I turned and ran.

I can run as fast as most men, and upon that occasion I did my best. It
would have put "Gildersleeve" into a white sweat to have distanced me;
but I had not been two minutes at it, when I felt conscious that the
buffalo gained upon me, and was almost treading upon my heels! I knew
it only by m