This o best beloved is another story of the High and Far-Off Times In the very middle of those times was a Stickly-Prickly Hedgehog and he lived on the banks of the turbid Ama zon eating shelly snails and things And he had a friend a Slow-Solid Tortoise who lived on the banks of the turbid Amazon eating green lettuces and things And so that was all right Best Beloved Do you see But also and at the same time in those High and Far Off Times there was a Painted Jaguar and he lived on the banks of the turbid Amazon too and he ate everything that he could catch When he could not catch deer or monkeys he would eat frogs and beetles and when he could not catch frogs and beetles he went to his Mother Jaguar and she told him how to eat hedgehogs and tortoises She said to him ever so many times graciously waving her tail My son when you find a Hedgehog you must drop him into the water and then he will uncoil and when you catch a Tortoise you must scoop him out of his shell with your paw And so that was all right Best Beloved One beautiful night on the banks of the turbid Amazon
Painted Jaguar found Stickly-Prickly Hedgehog and Slow and-Solid Tortoise sitting under the trunk of a fallen tree They could not run away and so Stickly-Prickly curled himself up into a ball because he was a Hedgehog and Slow-and-Solid Tortoise drew in his head and feet into his shell as far as they would go because he was a Tortoise and so that was all right Best Beloved Do you see Now attend to me said Painted Jaguar because this is very important My mother said that when I meet a Hedgehog I am to drop him into the water and then he will uncoil and when I meet a Tortoise I am to scoop him out of his shell with my paw Now which of you is Hedgehog Hedgehog and which is Tortoise because to save my spots I can’t tell Are you sure of what your Mummy told you said Stickly-Prickly Hedgehog Are you quite sure Perhaps she said that when you uncoil a Tortoise you must shell him out of the water with a scoop and when you paw a Hedgehog you must drop him on the shell Are you sure of what your Mummy told you said Slow-and-Solid Tortoise Are you quite sure Perhaps she said that when you water a Hedgehog you must drop him into your paw and when you meet a Tortoise you must shell him till he uncoils I don’t think it was at all like that said Painted Jaguar Jaguar but he felt a little puzzled but please say it again more distinctly JUST SO STORIES
When you scoop water with your paw you uncoil it with a Hedgehog said Stickly-Prickly Remember that because it’s important But said the Tortoise when you paw your meat you drop it into a Tortoise with a scoop Why can’t you understand understand You are making my spots ache said Painted Jaguar and besides I didn’t want your advice at all I only wanted to know which of you is Hedgehog and which is Tortoise I shan’t tell you said Stickly-Prickly But you can scoop me out of my shell if you like Aha said Painted Jaguar Now I know you’re Tortoise Tortoise You thought I wouldn’t Now I will Painted Jaguar Jaguar darted out his paddy-paw just as Stickly-Prickly curled himself up and of course Jaguar’s paddy-paw was just filled with prickles Worse than that he knocked Stickly-Prickly away and away into the woods and the bushes where it was too dark to find him Then he put his paddy-paw into his mouth and of course the prickles hurt him worse than ever As soon as he could speak he said Now I know he isn’t Tortoise at all But and then he scratched his head with his un-prickly paw how do I know that this other is Tortoise But I am Tortoise said Slow-and-Solid Your mother mother was quite right She said that you were to scoop me out of my shell with your paw Begin You didn’t say she said that a minute ago said Painted JUST SO STORIES
