“Oh, is that all? Well, he’s not the only man who can do it.”
Buffalo Bill stepped lightly forward and struck the bully a smashing blow between the eyes, which sent him reeling to the floor.
“Have you got a quarrel with me now?” he asked, as the man got up and wiped away the blood that was streaming from his nose.
“Yes, curse you! I suppose I must fight you, but I insist on my right to fight this young whelp here first!”
“And so do I!” cried Mainwaring. “Cody, you mean well, but I won’t let you take up my quarrel in this way. I can fight my own battles, and I will. But I’ll be very much obliged to you if you will act as my second.”
“Certainly I will,” said Cody, seeing that it was hopeless to try to prevent the duel, now that the quarrel had gone so far. “And if you fall it will not be long before I avenge you. But, you hot-headed young ass, why couldn’t you leave him alone, as I wanted you to do?”
It was a clear, bright, beautiful morning when the two men went forth from the little frontier hotel to kill or be killed.
The sun was rising in cloudless glory over the green-clad prairie. All nature seemed peaceful and glad and bright around these two men who had murder in their breasts toward one another.