I could no longer be inactive.

I raised my rifle, and as the beast in his writhings exposed his belly I took aim at the soft flesh just inside his left fore-leg, and fired both barrels.
At that instant my bird gave a wild, shrill scream and a vast bound into the air, and then away it went like the wind--away, I know not where.

That first bound had nearly jerked me off; but I managed to avoid this and now instinctively clung with all my might to the bird's neck, still holding my rifle.

The speed of the bird was twice as great as it had been before--as the speed of a runaway horse surpasses that of the same horse when trotting at his ordinary rate and under control.

I could scarcely make out where I was going.