The adventure started out through a shady wood. On both sides the trees stood tall and solemn. The light flowed greenly through their leaves as if through stained-glass windows in a church. Dominic walked along in the silence, smelling all the wonderful forest odors, alert to every new one, his nostrils quivering with delight. He smelled damp earth, mushrooms, dried leaves, violets,mint, spruce, rotting wood, animal droppings, forget-me-nots, and mold, and he savored all of it. The odors came as single notes, or percussion shots, or fused together in wonderful harmonies. Dominic was inspired to take out his piccolo and play. He invented a melody which he decided should be called "The Psalm of Sweet Smells".
Presently, he came to a quiet pond. Putting away his piccolo, he reconpitered the grassy bank, investigating various plants, pebbles, and anthills, and then sat down to enjoy some lunch. Scarcely had he wolfed a couple of sardines then the smooth surface of the pond before him ruffled and there was a huge catfish regarding him with unblinking eyes.
"You're Dominic," the catfish said.
Dominic was aquiver with attention. "Yes, I'm Dominic," he admitted. "Who are you?"
"I can't tell you my name," said the catfish. "But I have something for you. I've been waiting for you to pass by so I could give it to you." And he held forth out of the water a long, sharp spear. "You're going to need this," he said. "This fine-edges spear will make you invincible in serious combat. That is, if you use it rightly."
"What is 'using it rightly'?" Dominic asked, accepting the spear.
"Using it rightly," said the fish, "is using it with such skill that no one can best you."
"I see," said Dominic. "Thank you very much."
"You needn't thank me," said the fish. "I'm acting on orders." And he disappeared, leaving behind a small ripple that also disappeared.
Dominic never did find out whose orders the catfish was acting on. He speculated that it was the witch.
Remembering the fish, he felt guilty for having eaten sardines. But he quickly got over it and at another. He discarded the stick that had served to carry his bandanna and replaced it with the spear. Then he put on his Royal Fusiliers hat and continued on his way.
In not many minutes, proving that the witch had been correct when she said there would be action along this road, he fell into a deep hole. He looked up from the bottom. And, proving that the catfish had been right when he said Dominic would need the spear, he saw three masked faces looking down at him. They belobneed to members of the Doomsday Gang.
The Doomsday Gang robbed, ravaged, cheated, attracted innocent creatures at large and travelers especially, and did all sorts of damaging mischief; and the hole into which Dominic had fallen was a trap they had set for anyone at all who might happen to be passing that way. Dominic hadn't seen the hole because it had been cleverly covered with burdock leaves, arranged to look as if they had fallen there by chance.