Johnny quietly slacked off steam, but he kept up a good swinging gait,
not caring to renew his close acquaintance with his wounded enemy. The
latter speedily discovered be was losing ground, and finally gave up
the pursuit and trotted off at a leisurely rate to join his
companions, apparently none the worse for the slight wound he had
received.
As soon as the boy found himself beyond the reach of the animal's fury
he halted the man and made a minute examination of the machinery.
The head and horns of the buffalo had dented the iron skin of the
steam man, but the blow being distributed over a large area, inflicted
no other damageif indeed this could be called damage of itself.
The boy was greatly pleased, not only at his escape but at the
admirable manner in which his invention had borne the shock of
collision. It gave him a confidence in it which hitherto he had not
felt.
Turning his face more toward the mountains, he again let on a good
head of steam and rattled over the prairie at a stirring rate. An hour
was sufficient to bring him to the base, where he halted.
He had not forgotten the warning of the trapper, but, like almost any
inexperienced person, he could not see any cause for alarm.
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