in the water suited the mink well enough. A hunter of fish in
their holes, he was almost as much at home in the water as a fish. But
the raccoon it did not suit at all. With a splutter he relinquished
his hold on the mink's loins; and the latter, perceiving the
advantage, let go and snapped again for the throat. But again he
miscalculated the alertness of the raccoon's sturdy muscles. The
latter had turned his head the instant that the mink's jaws relaxed,
and the two gnashed teeth in each other's faces, neither securing a
hold. The next moment the raccoon had leaped back to dry land, turning
in threatening readiness as he did so.

Though there was no longer anything to fight about, the mink's blood
was up. His eyes glowed like red coals, his long, black shape looked
very fit and dangerous, and his whole appearance was that of
vindictive fury. The raccoon, on the other hand, though bedraggled
from his ducking, maintained his gay, casual air, as if enjoying the
whole affair too much to be thoroughly enraged. When the mink darted
upon him, straight as a snake strikes, he met the attack with a
curious little pirouette; and the next instant the two were once more
locked in a death grapple.

It was some moments before the breathless watchers in the canoe could
make out which was getting the advantage, so closely were the grey
body and the black intertwined. Then it was seen that the raccoon was
using his flexible, hand-like paws as a bear might, to hold his foe
down to the punishment. Both contestants were much cut, and bleeding
freely; but the mink was now getting slow, while the raccoon was as
cheerfully alert as ever. At length the mink tore loose and made one
more desperate reach for his favourite throat-hold. But this time it
was the raccoon who avoided. He danced aside, flashed back, and caught
the mink fairly under the jaw. Then, bracing himself, he shook his foe
as a terrier might. And in a minute or two the long, black shape
straightened out limply amid the sand and dead leaves.

When the body was quite still the raccoon let go and stood over it
expectantly for some minutes. He bit it several times, and seeing that
this treatment elicited no retort, suffered himself to feel assured of
his victory. Highly pleased, he skipped back and forth over the body,
playfully seized it with his fore-paws, and bundled it up into a heap.
Then seeming to remember the origin of the quarrel, he sniffed
regretfully at the crumbled