The Crocodile is one of the hungriest bodies that ever lived. When he is
looking for a dinner he will eat almost anything that comes within
reach. Sometimes the greedy fellow swallows great stones and chunks of
wood, in his hurry mistaking them for something more digestible. And
when he is smacking his great jaws over his food he makes such a greedy,
terrible noise that the other animals steal away nervously and hide
until it shall be Master Crocodile's sleepy-time. He is too lazy to
waddle in search of a dinner far from the river where he lives. But any
animal or even a man-swimmer had best be careful how he ventures into
the water near the Crocodile's haunts. For what seems to be a
greenish-brown, knobby log of wood floating on the water, has little
bright eyes which are on the lookout for anything which moves. And below
the water two great jaws are ready to open and swallow in the prey of
Mr. Hungry-Mouth.
But no matter how hungry the Crocodile may be, he will not touch the
Hen, even if she should venture into his very jaws; at least, that is
what the Black Men of the Congo River will tell you. And surely, as they
are the nearest neighbors of the big reptile they ought to know if any
one does. Now this is the story which they tell to explain why the
Crocodile will not eat the Hen.
Once upon a time there was a Hen, a common, plump, clucky mother Hen,
who used every day to go down to the river and pick up bits of food on
the moist banks, where luscious insects were many. She did not know that
this Congo River was the home of the Crocodile, the biggest, fiercest,
scaliest, hungriest Crocodile in all Africa. But one day when she went
down to the water as usual she hopped out onto what looked like a mossy
log, saying to herself:--
"Aha! This is a fine old timber-house. It is full of juicy bugs, I know.
I shall have a great feast!"
Tap-tap! Pick-pick! The Hen began to scratch and peck upon the rough
bark of the log, but Oh dear me! suddenly she began to feel very
seasick. The log was rolling over! The log was teetering up on end like
a boat in a storm! And before she knew what was really happening the
poor Hen found herself floundering in the water in the very jaws of the
terrible Crocodile.
"Ha, ha!" cried the Crocodile in his harsh voice. "You took me for a
log, just as the other silly creatures do. But I am no log, Mrs. Hen, as
you shall soon see. I am Hungry Crocodile, and you will make the fifth
dinner which I have had this evening."
The Hen was frightened almost to death, but she kept her presence of
mind and gasped frantically as she saw the great jaws opening to swallow
her:--
"O _Brother_, don't!"
Now the Crocodile was so surprised at hearing the Hen call him Brother
that he kept his jaws wide open and forgot to swallow his dinner. He
kept them open for some time, gaping foolishly, wondering what the Hen
could mean, and how he could possibly be her brother. And by the time he
had remembered how hungry he was, there was nothing for him to eat. For
the Hen had skipped away just as fast as her feet would take her.
"Pouf!" snorted the Crocodile. "Her brother, indeed! I am not her
brother, and she knows it very well. What a fool I was to be caught by
such a word! Just wait till I catch her again and we will see. I will
_brother_ her!" And he swam sulkily away to hide his mortification in
the Congo mud, with only the end of his long nose poking out as a
ventilator for his breathing.
Now, though the Hen had had so narrow an escape, it had not sufficiently
taught her a lesson. A few days afterwards once more she went down to
the river, for she could not resist the temptation of the bug-dinner
which she knew she should find there. But she kept her eyes open sharply
for any greeny log which might be floating on the water, saying to
herself, "Old Hungry-Mouth shall not catch me napping this time. I know
his wicked tricks!"
But this time the Crocodile was not floating on the water like a greeny
log. He was lying still as still, sunning himself on the river bank
behind some tall reeds. Mrs. Hen came trotting down to the water, a
plump and tempting sight, cocking her head knowingly on one side as she
spied a real log floating out beyond, which she took to be her enemy.
And as she scratched in the soft mud, chuckling to think how sly she
was, with a rush and a rustle down pounced the Crocodile upon her, and
once more, before she knew it, she found herself in the horrid gateway
of his jaws, threatened by the double rows of long, white teeth.
[Illustration: "_O Brother, don't!_"]
"Oho!" snapped the Crocodile. "You shall not escape me this time. I
am a log, am I? Look at me again, Mrs. Hen. Am I a log?" And he came at
her to swallow her at once.