78 OLD BLACK BASS 



against Old Black Bass. And with fierce 

 satisfaction he had known this from the 

 beginning. 



But as the struggle dragged out, this 

 satisfaction dwindled. Of what value the 

 victory to him when it would occasion only 

 regret among his kind? And how could he 

 boast of it, when in his heart he knew he 

 was in the wrong? For he did know this. 

 The altruistic instinct is born within the 

 fish, and he knows when he is violating it. 



At first he had thought that this mattered 

 but little; that only the conquest counted. 

 But as the fight waged and he fought with 

 success more and more assured, it came over 

 him that victory would mean defeat. It 

 would make him more than ever an outcast. 

 And what is triumph with no one to rejoice? 



But more than this came to him. He saw 

 that Leaper was right and he was wrong; 

 he sensed a greater than he before him, 

 though the greater was weaker. Never 

 suddenly and clearly he knew it could he 

 hope to be Leaper's equal, though he should 

 conquer him. For while he was an indi- 

 vidualist, wrecking for his own pleasure, 

 Leaper was defending the principle of 



