When the Author returned from the tool shed, he was surprised to see his cycle completely dismantled. He noticed that his friend was fiddling with the bicycle's front wheel with his fingers and that the complete bicycle, with all parts open, was lying next to him on the floor. To mend the bicycle, the man had to alter positions several times, sometimes climbing above it from different directions and lying beneath it. The 'battle' between man and machine is referred to as this.