ulled both triggers at once.

From that moment consciousness forsook me, and I knew not what had
occurred for some minutes after. The first object that met my confused
vision when I again opened my eyes was Peterkin, who was seated close
beside me on the body of the dead buffalo, examining some bloody
scratches on the calf of his left leg. He had evidently been attempting
to restore me to consciousness, for I observed that a wet handkerchief
lay on my forehead. He muttered to himself as he examined his wounds--

"This comes of not looking to one's caps. Humph! I do believe that
every bone in my body is--ah! here's another cut, two inches at least,
and into the bone of course, to judge from the flow of blood. I wonder
how much blood I can afford to lose without being floored altogether.
Such a country! I wonder how high I went. I felt as if I'd got above
the moon. Hollo, Ralph! better?"

I sat up as he said this, and looked at him earnestly.

"My dear Peterkin, then you're not killed after all."

"Not quite, but pretty near. If it had not been for that friendly bush
I should have fared worse. It broke my fall completely, and I really
believe that my worst hurts are a few scratches. But how are _you_,
Ralph? Yours was a much more severe case than mine. You should hold
your gun tighter, man, when you fire without putting it to your
shoulder."

"How? why? what do you mean?"

"Simply this, that in consequence of your reckless manner of holding
your rifle, it came back with such a slap on your chest that it floored
you."

"This, then, accounts for the pain I feel in it. But come," said I,
rising and shaking my limbs to make sure that no bones were broken; "we
have reason to be very thankful we have escaped so easily. I made sure
that you were killed when I saw you flying through the air."

"I always had a species of cat-luck about me," replied Peterkin, with a
smile. "But now let us cut off a bit o' this fellow to take back with
us for Jack's supper."

With some difficulty we succeeded in cutting out the buffalo's tongue by
the root, and carried it back to the village, where, after displaying it
as an evidence of our prowess, we had it cooked for supper.

The slight hurts that we had received at the time of this adventure were
speedily cured, and about two weeks after that we were all well enough
to resume our journey.

CHAPTER TEN.

WATER APPRECIATED--DESTRUCTIVE FILES, ETCETERA.

Our f