For some time Cuffy Bear and his new friend Pete, as he preferred to be called, continued to slide down the bank of the into the water. They became plastered with mud from head to foot. And Cuffy's best trousers had two big holes in them. But Cuffy was having a splendid time.  
"Let's box, !" Pete exclaimed, after a while.
 
"What's that?" Cuffy asked. He liked to be called "Cuff." Nobody had ever called him by that name before. He felt quite grown up.
 
"I'll show yer," Pete said. "Stand up in front of me."
 
Cuffy stood up on his legs.
 
"Now, hold up yer paws—so."
 
And Cuffy did as he was told.
 
"Now hit me!" Pete ordered.
 
And Cuffy struck out at his new friend. But to his surprise he didn't succeed in Pete at all. Instead, he received a stinging slap right on the end of his nose.
 
Cuffy didn't like that. In fact, it made him somewhat angry. And he struck out at Pete once more. But Pete ; and he gave Cuffy a good, hard blow in the eye. And while Cuffy was holding onto his poor eye, Pete hit his other eye. And then Cuffy couldn't see a thing, except bright spots that made him think of stars. He tried not to cry. But a few tears would go rolling down his cheeks. And he did not like it at all when Pete began to laugh.
 
"Huh! Don't be a cry-baby!" Pete said. "Yer want ter learn ter box, don't yer?"
 
"Y-es!" Cuffy answered.
 
"Well—quit yer cryin' and stand up here, then," Pete commanded.
 
So once more Cuffy straightened up and held his paws in front of him. And when he thought Pete wasn't watching, Cuffy tried again to hit him. Again Cuffy missed. His paw didn't reach Pete at all. But Pete gave him a terrible right in the stomach, and Cuffy sat down quickly on the ground and began to .
 
Pete sat down on the ground too and he looked at Cuffy and grinned.
 
"Want any more?" he asked.
 
Cuffy shook his head.
 
"I'll have to go home now," he said. "Of course, I'd like t............