"Look out there, he'll horn you!" yelled Jed Sanborn, and raised his gun to fire. But as he did so, Shep bumped against him, and the buckshot intended for the buck only rent the empty air.
By this time the buck was less than a hundred feet from where Snap was standing. That he was wild with rage could be seen from the look out of his wide-open and bloodshot eyes. He lowered his antlers, as if to pierce poor Snap through and through.
"Run! run!" yelled Shep. "Run, Snap!"
It was then that Snap awoke to the peril which confronted him, and turning, he made a leap to one side and around a clump of the bushes. The buck turned too, and at that moment Jed Sanborn discharged the second barrel of his shotgun, this time taking the game in one of the rear legs.
For the moment the buck was halted and he raised the wounded leg and let out a moan of pain. Then his fury increased, and with a mighty effort he arose in the air, intending to leap directly over the clump of bushes and on top of Snap.
But now Shep was ready for another shot and he let drive at the buck, hitting him along the left side. This served to bring the leap to a halt in midair, and doubling up, the buck sank down directly in the midst of the bushes.
"Good for you!" shouted Snap, and rushing forward he, too, took a second shot. This was too much for the buck, and crashing out of the bushes he rolled over and over and then stretched out, dead.
It was fully five minutes before the excitement was at an end. Snap was a trifle pale.
"What a narrow escape!" he murmured. "I thought sure he was going to horn me!"
"A buck will fight sometimes and when he does he's as ugly as any critter on four legs," said Jed Sanborn. "I might have fixed him with my first shot only Shep bumped into me. But I know he didn't mean to do it," added the old hunter hastily.