n.

"Look out for yourself," said Joses, raising his rifle; and nerving
himself for the encounter, and wondering whether he really was afraid or
no, Bart pressed his little cob's sides with his heels, making it
increase its pace, while he, the rider, determined to dash boldly into
the herd just as he had been told.

At that moment Bart's courage had a severe trial, for it seemed as if by
magic that a huge bull suddenly appeared before him, the monster having
trotted heavily to the top of the ridge, exactly opposite to Bart, and,
not ten yards apart, the latter and the bull stopped short to gaze at
each other.

"What a monster!" thought Bart, bringing his rifle to bear upon the
massive head, with the tremendous shoulders covered with long coarse
shaggy hair, while the short curved horns and great glowing eyes gave
the bull so ferocious an aspect that upon first acquaintance it was
quite excusable that Bart's heart should quail and his hands tremble as
he took aim, for the animal did not move.

Just then Bart remembered that Joses had warned him not to fire at the
front of a bison.

"He'd carry away half-a-dozen balls, my lad, and only die miserably
afterwards in the plain. What you've got to do is to put a bullet in a
good place and bring him down at once. That's good hunting. It saves
powder and lead, makes sure of the meat, and don't hurt the buffler half
so much."

So Bart did not fire, but sat there staring up at the bull, and the bull
stood above him pawing the ground, snorting furiously, and preparing
himself for a charge.

Truth must be told. If Bart had been left to himself on this his first
meeting with a bison, especially as the beast looked so threatening, he
would have turned and fled. But as it happened, he was not left to
himself, for Black Boy did not share his rider's tremor. He stood
gazing warily up at the bull for a few moments, and then, having
apparently made up his mind that there was not much cause for alarm, and
that the bison was a good deal of a big bully without a great deal of
bravery under his shaggy hide, he began to move slowly up the slope,
taking his master with him, to Bart's horror and consternation.

"He'll charge at and roll us over and over down the slope," thought
Bart, as he freed his feet from the stirrups, ready to leap off and
avoid being crushed beneath his nag.

Nine yards--eight yards--six yards--closer and closer, and the bison did
not charge. Then so near