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
Jaguar sucking the prickles out of his paddy-paw You said she said something quite different Well suppose you say that I said that she said something something quite different I don’t see that it makes any difference difference because if she said what you said I said she said it’s just the same as if I said what she said she said On the other hand if you think she said that you were to uncoil me with a scoop instead of pawing me into drops with a shell I can’t help that can I But you said you wanted to be scooped out of your shell with my paw said Painted Jaguar If you’ll think again you’ll find that I didn’t say anything anything of the kind I said that your mother said that you were to scoop me out of my shell said Slow-and-Solid What will happen if I do said the Jaguar most sniffily sniffily and most cautious I don’t know because I’ve never been scooped out of my shell before but I tell you truly if you want to see me swim away you’ve only got to drop me into the water I don’t believe it said Painted Jaguar You’ve mixed up all the things my mother told me to do with the things that you asked me whether I was sure that she didn’t say till I don’t know whether I’m on my head or my painted tail and now you come and tell me something I can understand understand and it makes me more mixy than before My mother told me that I was to drop one of you two into the water and as you seem so anxious to be dropped I think you don’t JUST SO STORIES
want to be dropped So jump into the turbid Amazon and be quick about it I warn you that your Mummy won’t be pleased Don’t tell her I didn’t tell you said Slow-and-Solid If you say another word about what my mother said the Jaguar answered but he had not finished the sentence before Slow-and-Solid quietly dived into the turbid turbid Amazon swam under water for a long way and came out on the bank where Stickly-Prickly was waiting for him That was a very narrow escape said Stickly-Prickly I don’t like Painted Jaguar What did you tell him that you were I told him truthfully that I was a truthful Tortoise but he wouldn’t believe it and he made me jump into the river to see if I was and I was and he is surprised Now he’s gone to tell his Mummy Listen to him They could hear Painted Jaguar roaring up and down among the trees and the bushes by the side of the turbid Amazon till his Mummy came Son son said his mother ever so many times graciously graciously waving her tail what have you been doing that you shouldn’t have done I tried to scoop something that said it wanted to be scooped out of its shell with my paw and my paw is full of per-ickles said Painted Jaguar Son son said his mother ever so many times graciously graciously waving her tail by the prickles in your paddy-paw JUST SO STORIES
