A farmer fleeing from a bull that had escaped its pen bolted…
A farmer fleeing from a bull that had escaped its pen bolted for the nearest safety—the fence between the pen and a melon grower’s melon patch. Leaping over, the farmer landed on and shattered several melons. Hearing the melee, the melon grower ran from a hiding place where he had been waiting to catch some children who had been stealing melons. He pointed his shotgun, which was loaded with rock salt, and exclaimed, “Stop or I’ll shoot.” Just then, two juvenile melon thieves decided to make their escape and ran from where they had been crouching. The melon grower aimed his shotgun at them and prepared to fire but slipped, and the load of rock salt struck the farmer, whom the melon grower had recognized and had not intended to hit. Has the melon grower committed an assault against the farmer?