was fain to approach it with more caution. It cost
Marengo a considerable fight before he succeeded in getting his jaws
over it. During the contest it continually snapped its bill, while its
great goggle eyes kept alternately and quickly opening and closing, and
the feathers being erected all over its body, gave it the appearance of
being twice its real size. Marengo at length succeeded in "crunching"
it--although not until he was well scratched about the snout--and its
useless carcass having been thrown upon the ground, the dog continued to
worry and chew at it, while Basil went on with his narration.

CHAPTER IX.

BASIL AND THE BISON-BULL.

"As soon as I saw the buffaloes," continued Basil, "my first thought was
to get near, and have a shot at them. _They_ were worth a charge of
powder and lead, and I reflected that if I could kill but one of them,
it would ensure us against hunger for a couple of weeks to come. So I
hung my game-bag to the branch of a tree, and set about approaching
them. I saw that the wind was in my favour, and there was no danger of
their scenting me. But there was no cover near them--the ground was as
level as a table, and there was not a score of trees upon as many acres.
It was no use crawling up, and I did not attempt it, but walked straight
forward, treading lightly as I went. In five minutes, I found myself
within good shooting range. Neither of the bulls had noticed me. They
were too busy with one another, and in all my life I never saw two
creatures fighting in such earnest. They were foaming at the mouth, and
the steam poured out of their nostrils incessantly."

At times, they would back from each other like a pair of rams, and then
rush together head-foremost, until their skulls cracked with the
terrible collision. One would have fancied that they would break them at
every fresh encounter, but I knew the thickness of a buffalo's skull
before that time. I remember having fired a musket at one that stood
fronting me not more than six feet distant, when, to my surprise, the
bullet flattened and fell to the ground before the nose of the buffalo!
The creature was not less astonished than myself, as up to that time it
had not seen me.

"Well," continued Basil after a pause, "I did not stop long to watch the
battle of the bison-bulls. I was not curious about that. I had seen
such many a time. I was thinking about the meat; and I paused just long
enough to select the one that appear