about fifty yards or so when, just as he turned a
winding in the path, he found himself face to face with an old
buffalo-bull, fast asleep, and lying down not ten yards off. To drop on
one knee and level his piece was the work of an instant, but
unfortunately he snapped a dry twig in doing so. The eyes of the huge
brute opened instantly, and he had half risen before the loud report of
the gun rang through the thicket. Leaping up, Tom Brown took advantage
of the smoke to run back a few yards and spring behind a bush, where he
waited to observe the result of his shot. It was more tremendous then
he had expected. A crash on his right told him that another, and
unsuspected, denizen of the thicket had been scared from his lair, while
the one he had fired at was on his legs snuffing the air for his enemy.
Evidently the wind had been favourable, for immediately he made a
dead-set and charged right through the bush behind which our hero was
concealed. Tom leaped on one side; the buffalo-bull turned short round
and made another dash at him. There was only the remnant of the
shattered bush between the two; the buffalo stood for a few seconds
eyeing him furiously, the blood streaming down its face from a
bullet-hole between the two eyes, and its head garnished with a torn
mass of the bush. Again it charged, and again Tom, unable to get a
favourable chance for his second barrel, leaped aside and evaded it with
difficulty. The bush was now trampled down, and scarcely formed a
shadow of a screen between them; nevertheless Tom stood his ground,
hoping to get a shot at the bull's side, and never for a single instant
taking his eye off him. Once more he charged, and again our hero
escaped. He did not venture, however, to stand another, but turned and
fled, closely followed by the infuriated animal.

A few yards in front the path turned at almost right angles. Tom
thought he felt the hot breath of his pursuer on his neck as he doubled
actively round the corner. His enemy could neither diverge from nor
check his onward career; right through a fearfully tangled thicket he
went, and broke into the open beyond, carrying an immense pile of
rubbish on his horns. Tom instantly threw himself on his back in the
thicket to avoid being seen, and hoped that his native followers would
now attract the bull's attention, but not one of them made his
appearance, so he started up, and just as the disappointed animal had
broken away over the