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
Son son What have you been doing that you shouldn’t have done
I see that that must have been a Hedgehog You should have dropped him into the water I did that to the other thing and he said he was a Toroise Toroise and I didn’t believe him and it was quite true and he has dived under the turbid Amazon and he won’t come up again and I haven’t anything at all to eat and I think we had better find lodgings somewhere else They are too clever on the turbid Amazon for poor me Son son said his mother ever so many times graciously graciously waving her tail now attend to me and remember what I say A Hedgehog curls himself up into a ball and his prickles stick out every which way at once By this you may know the Hedgehog I don’t like this old lady one little bit said Stickly Prickly under the shadow of a large leaf I wonder what else she knows A Tortoise can’t curl himself up Mother Jaguar went on ever so many times graciously waving her tail He only draws his head and legs into his shell By this you may know the Tortoise I don’t like this old lady at all at all said Slow and-Solid Tortoise Even Painted Jaguar can’t forget those directions It’s a great pity that you can’t swim Stickly Prickly Don’t talk to me said Stickly-Prickly Just think how much better it would be if you could curl up This is a mess Listen to Painted Jaguar JUST SO STORIES
