巨大的鳄鱼

In the biggest brownest muddiest river in Africa, two crocodiles lay with their heads just above the water. One of the crocodiles was enormous. The other was not so big. “Do you know what I would like for my lunch today?" the Enormous Crocodile asked. “No,” the Notsobig One said. “What?” The Enormous Crocodile grinned, showing hundreds of sharp white teeth. “For my lunch today,” he said, “I would like a nice juicy little child.” "I never eat children,” the Notsobig One said. “Only fish.” “Ho, ho, ho!” cried the Enormous Crocodile. “I'll bet if you saw a fat juicy little child paddling in the water over there at this very moment, you'd gulp him up in one gollop!” “No, I wouldn't;" the Notsobig One said. “Children are too tough and chewy. They are tough and chewy and nasty and bitter.” “Tough and chewy!” cried the Enormous Crocodile. “Nasty and bitter! What awful tommy-rot you talk! They are juicy and yummy!” “They taste so bitter," the Notsobig One said, “you have to cover them with sugar before you can eat them.” “Children are bigger than fish,” said the Enormous Crocodile. “You get bigger helpings.”

“You are greedy,’ the Notsobig One said. “You're the greediest croc in the whole river.” "I'm the bravest croc in the whole river,” said the Enormous Crocodile. "Im the only one who dares to leave the water and go through the jungle to the town to look for little children to eat.” “You've only done that once,” snorted the Notsobig One. “And what happened then? They all saw you coming and ran away.” “Ah, but today when I go, they won't see me at all,” said the Enormous Crocodile. “Of course they'll see you," the Notsobig One said. You're so enormous and ugly, they'll see you from miles away.” The Enormous Crocodile grinned again, and his terrible sharp teeth sparkled like knives in the sun. “Nobody will see me,” he said, “because this time I’ve thought up secret plans and clever tricks.” “Clever tricks?" cried the Notsobig One. ^ You've never done anything clever in your life! You're the stupidest croc on the whole river!" “Tm the cleverest croc on the whole river,’ the Enormous Crocodile answered. “For my lunch today I shall feast upon a fat juicy little child while you lie here in the river feeling hungry. Goodbye.”

The Enormous Crocodile swam to the side of the river, and crawled out of the water. A gigantic creature was standing in the slimy oozy mud on the river-bank. It was Humpy-Rumpy, the Hippopotamus. “Hello, hello,” said Humpy-Rumpy. “Where on earth are you off to at this time of day?” I have secret plans and clever tricks,’ said the Crocodile. “Oh dear,’ said Humpy-Rumpy. “T’ll bet you're going to do something horrid.” The Enormous Crocodile grinned at Humpy-Rumpy and said: "I'm going to fill my hungry empty tummy With something yummy yummy yummy yummy!” "What's so yummy?” asked Humpy-Rumpy. “Try to guess,’ said the Crocodile. “It’s something that walks on two legs.” "You don't mean..." said Humpy-Rumpy. "You don't really mean you're going to eat a little child?" "You don’t mean .. "Of course I am,” said the Crocodile. “Oh, you horrid greedy grumptious brute!” cried Humpy-Rumpy. “I hope you get caught and cooked and turned into crocodile soup!" The Enormous Crocodile laughed out loud at Humpy-Rumpy. Then he waddled off into the jungle.

Inside the jungle, he met Trunky, the Elephant. Trunky was nibbling leaves from the top of a tall tree, and he didn't notice the Crocodile at first. So the Crocodile bit him on the leg. “Ow!” said Trunky in his big deep voice. “Who did that? Oh, it’s you, is it, you beastly Crocodile. Why don't you go back to the big brown muddy river where you belong?" “I have secret plans and clever tricks,” said the Crocodile. "You mean you've nasty plans and nasty tricks,’ said Trunky. "You've never done a nice thing in your life.” The Enormous Crocodile grinned up at Trunky and said: "I'm off to find a yummy child for lunch. Keep listening and you'll hear the bones go crunch!" “Oh, you wicked beastly beast!” cried Trunky. “Oh, you foul and filthy fiend! I hope you get squashed and squished and squizzled and boiled up into crocodile stew!” The Enormous Crocodile laughed out disappeared into the thick jungle.

A bit further on, he met Muggle- Wump, the Monkey. Muggle- Wump was sitting in a tree, eating nuts. “Hello, Crocky/" said Muggle- Wump. “What are you up to now?" “I have secret plans and clever tricks,” said the Crocodile. "Would you like some nuts?” asked Muggle- Wump. “I have better things to eat than nuts,’ sniffed the Crocodile. “I didn't think there was anything better than nuts,” said Muggle- Wump. " Ah-ha;" said the Enormous Crocodile, “The sort of things that I'm going to eat Have fingers, toe-nails, arms and legs and feet!” Muggle-Wump went pale and began to shake all over. “You aren't really going to gobble up a little child, are you?” he said. “Of course I am,’ said the Crocodile. “Clothes and all. They taste better with the clothes on.”

“Oh, you horrid hoggish croc!” cried Muggle-Wump. “You slimy creature! I hope the buttons and buckles all stick in your throat and choke you to death!” The Crocodile grinned up at Muggle-Wump and said, “I eat monkeys, too.” And quick as a flash, with one bite of his huge jaws, he bit through the tree that Muggle-Wump was sitting in, and down it came. But just in time, Muggle- Wump jumped into the next tree and swung away through the branches.