"It's dollars to doughnuts on the bear," predicted Waldo. "Scat,
you bull-headed idiot! Don't you know that you're not deuce high
to his ace? Can't you see that he can chew you up like--"

"Are you mighty sure of all that, boy?" laughingly cut in Bruno;
for at that moment the buffalo made a sudden charge at his
upright adversary, knocking the grizzly backward in spite of its
viciously flying paws.

"Great Peter on a bender! If I ever--no, I never!"

Even the professor was growing excited, holding the dynamite gun
under one arm while gently tapping palms together as an encore.

Naturally enough, their sympathies were with the buffalo, since
the odds seemed so immensely against him; but their delight was
short-lived, for, instead of following up the advantage so
bravely won, the bull fell back to paw and bellow and shake his
shaggy front.

With marvellous activity for a brute of his enormous bulk and
weight, the grizzly recovered its feet, then lumbered forward
with clashing teeth and resounding growls.

Nothing loath, the buffalo met that charge, and for a short space
of time the struggle was veiled by showers of leaf-mould and damp
dirt cast upon the air as the rivals fought for supremacy--and
for life.

For that this was destined to be a duel to the very death not one