The two were lying on their faces with their guns pointed over the crest of the ridge. The three animals in their panic came not straight toward the couple, but took a diagonal course which promised to bring them within easy range. Their extreme sensitiveness to scent and sound was familiar to Shagbark, and he knew they would turn aside before coming very near. The buck detected his danger a minute later. In running from one of the ogres that strode through the country on two legs, he was leading his charges directly upon another. In the same instant that the new peril flashed upon him, he veered abruptly to the right, still skimming the prairie with amazing speed. “Now!” whispered Shagbark, pressing the trigger of his weapon. There was only a second or two between the reports, and it is enough to say that each shot was perfect in its way. Like all their species, the antelope ran quite a distance after being mortally smitten. The third was far beyond reach before either could reload his piece. Jethro would have fired had not the new turn of affairs thrown him out of range of all the animals. Seeing the two fall, he trotted forward with a huge grin on his ebon countenance. Allowing the carcasses for Shagbark to look after, the angered Alden turned upon the servant and exclaimed: “Of all fools that I ever saw you’re the champion!” “How’s dat?” asked Jethro, still smiling. “When you had the best chance in the world to bring down that buck why didn’t you do it, instead of running away from him?” Jethro shook with exulting laughter. “You can’t fool dis chile; I reasoned out de whole thing. Mr. Shagbark tole me how dem critters chaw and stomp and bite a feller; I knowed dat if I brunged down dis one, it would make de oder two so mad dey’d come at me afore I could load up ag’in, and you wouldn’t hab any Jeth any more. So I luft; dem antelopes am wery rewengeful――wery rewengeful――and I’se too smart to gib ’em de chance dey wanted to lambast me.” CHAPTER XI A DISAPPOINTMENT No argument could be held with such intelligence as this. Shagbark, with a queer expression on his bearded countenance, looked at the grinning Jethro, but did not speak. Possibly he felt that he was blamable in the matter, for it had been his awful words that caused the senseless panic of the colored youth, and made him flee from before a harmless antelope, when the lad had a loaded rifle in his hands and knew how to use it. Alden was so amazed that at first he suspected his dusky friend was jesting, but there could be no doubt of his earnestness. Jethro was confident that he had saved his life by his own brightness. “It’s too much for me,” commented Alden with a shake of his head.