The black's ivory fangs snarled; Muskwa whined.
Again Thor advanced, a foot at a time, and now his gaping jaws almost touched the ground, and his huge body was hunched low.
When no more than the length of a yardstick separated them there came a pause.

For perhaps thirty seconds they were like two angry men, each trying to strike terror to the other's heart by the steadiness of his look.
Muskwa shook as if with the ague, and whined--softly and steadily he whined, and the whine reached Thor's ears.

What happened after that began so quickly that Muskwa was struck dumb with terror, and he lay flattened out on the earth as motionless as a stone.
With that grinding, snarling grizzly roar, which is unlike any other animal cry in the world, Thor flung himself at the black.

The black reared a little--just enough to fling himself backward easily as they came together breast to breast.

He rolled upon his back, but Thor was too old a fighter to be caught by that first vicious ripping stroke of the black's hind foot, and he buried his four long flesh-rending teeth to the bone of his enemy's shoulder.