Animal Heroes

Windows opened all around, human voices were heard, but the Cat scene went on. "Yow-yow-ow!" rumbled the Yellow Peril, his voice deepening as the other's rose. "Yow!" and he advanced another step. Now their noses were but three inches apart; they stood sidewise, both ready to clinch, but each waiting for the other. They glared for three minutes in silence and like statues, except that each tail-tip was twisting. The Yellow began again. "Yow-ow-ow!" in deep tone. "Ya-a-a--a-a!" screamed the Black, with intent to strike terror by his yell; but he retreated one sixteenth of an inch. The Yellow walked up a long half-inch; their whiskers were mixing now; another advance, and their noses almost touched. "Yo-w-w!" said Yellow, like a deep moan. "Y-a-a-a-a-a-a!" screamed the Black, but he retreated a thirty-second of an inch, and the Yellow Warrior closed and clinched like a demon. Oh, how they rolled and bit and tore, especially the Yellow One! How they pitched and gripped and hugged, but especially the Yellow One! Over and over, sometimes one on top, sometimes another, but mostly the Yellow One; and farther till they rolled off the roof, amid cheers from all the windows. They lost not a second in that fall to the junk-yard; they tore and clawed all the way down, but especially the Yellow One. And when they struck the ground, still fighting, the one on top was chiefly the Yellow One; and before they separated both had had as much as they wanted, especially the Black One! He scaled a wall and, bleeding and growling, disappeared, while the news was passed from window to window that Cayley's Nig had been licked at last by Orange Billy.