veiled his eyes. Thereat Ocimides was seized with grief,
and struck out with his sharp reed and did not draw his spear back to
him again, but felled his enemy there and then. And Lickman shot at him
with a bright spear and hit him unerringly in the midriff. And as he
marked Cabbage-eater running away, he fell on the steep bank, yet even
so did not cease fighting but smote that other so that he fell and
did not rise again; and the lake was dyed with red blood as he lay
outstretched along the shore, pierced through the guts and shining
flanks. Also he slew Cheese-eater on the very brink....

((LACUNA))

(ll. 224-251) But Reedy took to flight when he saw Ham-nibbler,
and fled, plunging into the lake and throwing away his shield. Then
blameless Pot-visitor killed Brewer and Water-larked killed the lord
Ham-nibbler, striking him on the head with a pebble, so that his brains
flowed out at his nostrils and the earth was bespattered with blood.
Faultless Muck-coucher sprang upon Lick-platter and killed him with his
spear and brought darkness upon his eyes: and Leeky saw it, and dragged
Lick-platter by the foot, though he was dead, and choked him in the
lake. But Crumb-snatcher was fighting to avenge his dead comrades, and
hit Leeky before he reached the land; and he fell forward at the blow
and his soul went down to Hades. And seeing this, the Cabbage-climber
took a clod of mud and hurled it at the Mouse, plastering all his
forehead and nearly blinding him. Thereat Crumb-snatcher was enraged and
caught up in his strong hand a huge stone that lay upon the ground, a
heavy burden for the soil: with that he hit Cabbage-climber below the
knee and splintered his whole right shin, hurling him on his back in the
dust. But Croakperson kept him off, and rushing at the Mouse in turn,
hit him in the middle of the belly and drove the whole reed-spear into
him, and as he drew the spear back to him with his strong hand, all his
foe's bowels gushed out upon the ground. And when Troglodyte saw the
deed, as he was limping away from the fight on the river bank, he shrank
back sorely moved, and leaped into a trench to escape sheer death. Then
Bread-nibbler hit Puff-jaw on the toes--he came up at the last from the
lake and was greatly distressed....

((LACUNA))

(ll. 252-259) And when Leeky saw him fallen forward, but still half
alive, he pressed through those who fought in front and hurled a sharp
reed at him; but the point of the spear was st