34 OLD BLACK BASS 



He tore the hook from the fragile mouth, 

 held the little bass up, and as a man would 

 strike a handball, batted him back into the 

 water. 



He turned over and over, then lay gasp- 

 ing. The cartilage of his mouth was torn, 

 but this gave him no pain. The pain he 

 felt was in his side. Where the hand had 

 struck him the scales were ruffled and 

 broken, causing dull irritation. The water 

 did not slip from him here, but clung to his 

 skin and fretted him. His companions 

 swam nearer and looked at him curiously, 

 but understood not save one. 



The next day the pain was more acute. 

 The reason was that poison in the water had 

 searched out the wound and infected it. A 

 red abrasion appeared, the scales dropping 

 away. 



Vainly he tried to escape. He swam 

 against small stones to remove it; whipped 

 his small tail to shake it off. But it grew 

 worse. It spread. The pain and the hectic 

 activity wore him down. 



The third day he swam nearer and nearer 

 the surface. He turned belly up, and at 

 times gulped air through his gills. But he 



