The man tried to put all the removed parts of the bicycle back to their normal position. For this he would sometimes climb up on the bike from any of possible directions and sometimes would lie under it, to mend it. This continuous replacement of the position of the bike and the man has been appropriately described as 'the *****'.
The sentences that describe 'the ' are -One moment the bicycle would be on the gravel path, and he on top of it. Next moment, the position would be reversed, he on the gravel path, the bicycle on him. Now he would be standing flushed with victory, the bicycle firmly fixed between his legs. But his triumph would be short-lived. After being and dishevelled, cut and bleeding 'the ***** between the man and the machine was over. The bicycle looked as if it also had had enough of it.
