Now the little ersh had come to the meeting, with his spiny back, and
his big front fins, and his head all shining in blue and gold and
green. And when he had heard all they had to say, he began to talk.

"Think away," says he, "and break your heads, and spoil your brains,
if ever you had any; but listen for a moment to what I have to say."

And all the fish turned to listen to the ersh, who is the cleverest of
all the little fish, because he has a big head and a small body.

"Listen," says the ersh. "It is clear enough that the pike lives in
this big river, and that he does not give the little fish a chance,
crunches them all with his sharp teeth, and swallows them ten at a
time. I quite agree that it would be much better for everybody if he
could be killed; but not one of us is strong enough for that. We are
not strong enough to kill him; but we can starve him, and save
ourselves at the same time. There's no living in the big river while
he is here. Let all us little fish clear out, and go and live in the
little rivers that flow into the big. There the waters are shallow,
and we can hide among the weeds. No one will touch us there, and we
can live and bring up our children in peace, and only be in danger
when we go visiting from one little river to another. And as for the
great pike, we will leave him alone in the big river to rage hungrily
up and down. His teeth will soon grow blunt, for there will be nothing
for him to eat."

All the little fish waved their fins and danced in the water when they
heard the wisdom of the ersh's speech. And the ersh and the roach,
and the bream and the perch, and the dace and the gudgeon left the big
river and swam up the little rivers between the green meadows. And