Author: Edward Guenther
Uploaded: November 11th, 2011
Davy was mighty small for his age, and just looking at him one might not see the ferocious competitiveness that was in him. Yet, he always won the dangerous competitions, like the wild bike races down treacherous logging roads, or climbing games through poison oak.
One day he even surprised himself when it came to a cudgel fight on the bay.
Jonny, Donny, Eddy, and Davy spent a lot of time on the bay. There was rafting, fishing, exploration, and endless other activities for adventurous boys of the 50’s and 60’s growing up near the Pacific Ocean. One of their favorite past times was cudgel-fighting… the old Robin Hood and Little John style. They fought in their imaginary world until one day it was no longer imaginary. It would be their last cudgel fight and it would be Davy’s great fight that ended it.
It all started with the usual dock building project. Big brother Richy would show up to help them dig postholes in the mud. Then, with Pa’s hammer and nails, and planks that had been gathered and floated down the bay during high tides, they would work away.
Although the end result was twelve-inch wide planks nailed to the top of timbers sticking up out of the mud, in their minds it was a dock. These docks provided a good fishing spot for bay perch. They also provided the setting for the riskier activity of cudgel fighting; both boys had to balance on the planks while fighting, with the loser eating mud.
One day while the four boys were on the bay doing some cudgeling, four big boys from the trailer park down the bay showed up. They were interested in the cudgeling, but they were more interested in picking a fight. After a little private parlay, Jonny, the oldest, was chosen to step forward and challenge their biggest dude. Jonny, manly enough, did so, but the big dude toed the ground and finally shook his head, “No”.
Next Donny tried his turn at a challenge, and was also turned down. Eddy, anxious to show his stuff, stepped forwards, but it was “No go” for him too.
In a renewed parlay, all eyes were upon little Davy. As Davy sized up the situation, he was certain that he didn’t want to tackle that big dude, but there just wasn’t any way out of it! So, with trepidation, Davy stepped forward and made his challenge. The Goliath looked down at Davy with an evil grin on his face and slowly moved his head up and down in agreement. This would be a piece of cake… he thought!
“Well now…”
Goliath insisted on Davy walking the plank first, putting him at the muddiest end of the plank. And since this was their only chance for action, Davy was coaxed to agree.
Each carefully chose a cudgel. Both took their positions… and then Davy took a few quick steps forward.
Goliath waited, apparently loosing some of his sureness. Davy feigned a low left with his cudgel and then sent a mighty high right swing that caught Goliath with a solid
blow on the shoulder. (Davy always played fair, and head shots were against the code.) When that cudgel made impact, Goliath sailed out into mid-air in a swan dive, coming to rest face down in the sticky, soft mud.
The boys walked off with their heads hanging down never to cudgel fight again. They were ashamed for what they had done to that city slicker… but Davy was secretly rejoicing in his heart over the mighty downfall of Goliath!