96 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



once, during a pause for breath, both at the 

 same moment awoke to knowledge of the plight 

 they had got themselves into. Both had 

 sought to back away at the same instant. In 

 the next they were tugging frantically to 

 break apart. 



But struggle as they might their efforts 

 were utterly in vain. The tough, strong horn 

 of their new antlers was ever so slightly elastic, 

 It had yielded, under the impact of their last 

 charge, just far enough for a perfect locking. 

 But in the opposite direction there was no 

 yielding. They were inextricably and inexor- 

 ably fixed together, and in a horrid attitude, 

 in which it was impossible to feed, or even to 

 straighten up their bowed necks. 



In the agonized pulling match which now 

 began, the white bull had the best of it. He 

 had slightly the advantage in weight. Little 

 by little he dragged his grunting rival out 

 along the sandspit, till the two cows, almost 

 crowded off, bounced past with indignant 

 snorts and vanished down the shore. A 

 moment more, and he had backed off the 

 sand into a couple of feet of water. 



The shock of the plunge seemed to startle 

 the white bull into new rage. He laid the 

 blame of it upon his foe. As if with all his 

 strength renewed, he recovered himself, and 



