“But when the catfish got by themselves and they thought there was no one else to overhear them, they would make up fairy tales of wonderful adventures they had gone through, and fierce monsters they had destroyed.  One would say ’I wish I were large enough to drag home the enormous giant eel I killed today.  He was sixteen feet long, and weighed five hundred pounds.’  Another would say, ’Pooh, that is nothing!  Why, you ought to see an Indian who tried to catch me in a net!  Why, I not only pulled him in the water and dragged him all over the bottom, but I made him promise he would never disturb any of the catfish tribe after this!’

“Just then a little bird flew over the water and his shadow so startled the boastful catfish, they buried themselves in the mud at the bottom of the stream.

“After a while,” Grand’pa Skeeterhawk continued, “They got up courage to peek out of the mud, and as they saw nothing to frighten them, they formed in a circle and told more tales of their fighting qualities.

“One old catfish who had been the leader because he could tell the biggest tales and hide under the mud quicker than any of the others finally said:  ’We are the best fish in the water, as you all know, so I think it will be a good plan to fight everything that comes near the water from the land!’

“’Shall we fight the big hawk who wades in the water and catches some of us?’ asked a little kitten fish.

[Illustration]

“‘Kitten fish should be seen and not heard!’ the old chief catfish answered quickly.  I do not believe we should harm the hawk.  He is not large enough.  I was thinking of the large beast who comes wading along the shores and eats the grasses that grow beneath the surface.  You know he has to raise his head every once-in-a-while in order to breathe, so if we should all hang on to him we could pull him under the water.’

“So the catfish, although they were so frightened that their fins grew stiff, decided that they would follow their chief, for they expected he would be the first to hide under the mud when the big beast came.

“Finally old Omasko, the elk, came down to the river to feed, and the old chief catfish swam out and pulled on Omasko’s whiskers, and all the other catfish cried:  ’See how brave and fearless the mighty catfish are!’ and they all swam out and pulled Omasko’s whiskers, too.  This made Omasko very angry, for he never harmed any fish in his life.

“He began jumping and pawing with his heavy hoofs, and smashed all the catfish down in the mud and when they finally came out again, which was not until two or three days later, their heads were as flat as they are now!

“That is why all catfish have flat heads,” Grandfather Skeeterhawk finished.

“It served them right for being so boastful!” Johnny Cricket said.

“It served them right for trying to harm someone who never harmed them!” Gran’pa Skeeterhawk replied, as he darted up in the air and flew over the tall cat-tails.