246 DAYS IN THE OPEN 



enraged that he dashed at his enemy with jaws ex- 

 tended. The Bully was so busy swearing that he 

 came near losing his life. As it was, he dodged 

 just in time to prevent those powerful jaws from 

 closing upon him, but not quickly enough to escape 

 a slashing from two big teeth which laid his side 

 open in deep gashes. He was a surprised Bully, but 

 not dismayed. 



The battle that followed had no historian. Of 

 much that took place, the whirling and darting, the 

 snapping and struggling, the reports that have come 

 down through the years are somewhat confused 

 and even contradictory. It seems clear that at the 

 first the Bully had the worst of it. Besides the 

 gashes received in the first attack, he lost one fin 

 and a piece of his tail early in the fray. The pond 

 trout had all the advantage in size and was cheered 

 on by his friends; but the Bully's gymnastic exer- 

 cises, fighting with the rapids, stood him in good 

 stead now. His muscles were steel, while those of 

 the pond trout had grown somewhat flabby since he 

 had come to content himself with life in the still 

 water. As they feinted and charged and whirled 

 about, the pond champion began to grow short of 

 breath and found increasing difficulty in meeting 

 the rushes of the Bully, who seemed to grow more 

 agile as the battle raged. Then there came a 

 moment when the Bully feinted for his opponent's 

 tail, and, when the pond trout turned suddenly to 

 guard his caudal extremity, he left his throat un- 



