"Bother the suspicious little Jackal, I shall have to make these figs
roll about, so that he will think the wind moves them." And
straightway he humped himself up and moved, and sent the little figs
flying,--and his back showed through.
The little Jackal did not wait for a second look. He ran out of the
garden like the wind. But as he ran he called back,--
"Thank you, again, Mr. Alligator; very sweet of you to show me where
you are; I can't stay to thank you as I should like: good-by!"
At this the old Alligator was beside himself with rage. He vowed that
he would have the little Jackal for supper this time, come what might.
So he crept and crawled over the ground till he came to the little
Jackal's house. Then he crept and crawled inside, and hid himself
there in the house, to wait till the little Jackal should come home.
By and by the little Jackal came dancing home, happy and
care-free,--BUT looking all around. Presently, as he came along, he
saw that the ground was all scratched up as if something very heavy had
been dragged over it. The little Jackal stopped and looked.
"What's this? what's this?" he said.
Then he saw that the door of his house was crushed at the sides and
broken, as if something very big had gone through it.
"What's this? What's this?" the little Jackal said. "I think I'll
investigate a little!"
So he stood quite still and began to talk to himself (you remember, it
was a little way he had), but loudly. He said,--
"How strange that my little House doesn't speak to me! Why don't you
speak to me, little House? You always speak to me, if everything is
all right, when I come home. I wonder if anything is wrong with my
little House?"
The old Alligator thought to himself that he must certainly pretend to
be the little House, or the little Jackal would never come in. So he
put on as pleasant a voice as he could (which is not saying much) and
said,--
"Hullo, little Jackal!"
Oh! when the little Jackal heard that, he was frightened enough, for
once.
"It's the old Alligator," he said, "and if I don't make an end of him
this time he will certainly make an end of me. What shall I do?"
He thought very fast. Then he spoke out pleasantly.
"Thank you, little House," he said, "it's good to hear your pretty
voice, dear little House, and I will be in with you in a minute; only
first I must gather some firewood for dinner."
Then he went and gathered firewood, and more firewood, and more
firewood; and he piled it all up solid against the door and round the
house; and then he set fire to it!
And it smoked and burned till it smoked that old Alligator to smoked
herring!