ping with rage.

But he walked on, gaining courage as he went, but ere he had gone
half-a-dozen steps six of the bulls made a headlong charge at him, and
Bart stood still, ready to fire.

"How stupid I was," he said to himself. "They'll go right over me;" and
with his heart beating heavily he felt that he must turn and run.

"Go on, my lad, go on," shouted Joses, encouragingly; and in spite of
himself, and as if bound to obey orders, the lad took a step forward
again, when, to his utter amazement, the bison bulls, now not twenty
yards away, stopped short, shook their heads at him, made some impotent
tosses in the air, pawed up a little grass, and then turned altogether,
and trotted back to take up their old position in front of the herd.

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Joses, behind him. "What did I tell you? Go on,
my lad. You've got more heart than a bison."

This emboldened Bart, who went steadily on, reducing the distance
between him and the herd; and it was a curious sensation that which came
upon the lad as he walked nearer and nearer to the furious-looking
beasts.

Then his heart gave a tremendous throb, and seemed to stand still, for,
without warning, and moved as if by one impulse, the bison charged
again, but this time not half the distance; and as Bart did not run from
them, they evidently thought that some one ought to flee, so they
galloped back.

Bart was encouraged now, and began to feel plenty of contempt for the
monsters, and walking more swiftly, the beasts charged twice more, the
last time only about the length of their bodies, and this was when Bart
was so near that he could almost feel their hot moist breath.

This was the last charge, for as they turned the leading bull evidently
communicated his opinion that the young visitor was a stupid kind of
being, whom it was impossible to frighten, and the whole herd set off at
a lumbering gallop, but as they did so two rifle-shots rang out, and two
bulls hung back a little, evidently wounded.

Joses led up Bart's horse as the lad reloaded, and put the rein in his
hand.

"There, off after your own bull, my lad. It was bravely done. I'm off
after mine."

Then they separated, and after a short, gallop Bart reached his quarry,
and better able now to manage his task, he rode up on its right side,
and a well-placed bullet tumbled the monstrous creature over on the
plain dead.

Joses had to give two shots before he disabled his own bison, but the
run