EMERGENCE OF A BULLY 57 



safe to so disturb him with impunity? 

 Clearly this little whippersnapper needed 

 the same lesson the others had so thoroughly 

 learned. 



His anger mounted. He lifted slightly, 

 determined to show it and all the others. 

 When he struck he lunged savagely, open- 

 ing and closing his mouth once, twice, with 

 a queer "chugging" sound. Only the inex- 

 pertness of the angler saved Old Black Bass, 

 for he was reeling the lure too swiftly, re- 

 solved to change it for another ; and the fish 

 was not hooked. 



In vain did he cast again and again. Old 

 Black Bass's anger had disquieted the 

 school, and, refusing to rise again, they 

 went on down the lake in search of a quieter 

 spot. 



Of course the fish did not know it, but 

 they had here given the only true answer to 

 the question asked about so many camp fires 

 of evenings: "Why does a bass strike an 

 artificial lure?" And they had answered it 

 by the motive which had impelled each to 

 strike. 



The mind of man is obsessed by a desire 

 to reduce everything to one simple formula. 



