Page:Old Deccan Days.djvu/258

 214 is safe and right, you always call out to me. Is anything wrong, that you do not speak?'

Then the Alligator, who was inside, thought, 'If that is the case I had better call out, that he may fancy all is right in his house.' And in as gentle a voice as he could, he said, 'Sweet little Jackal.'

At hearing these words the Jackal felt quite frightened, and thought to himself, 'So the dreadful old Alligator is there! I must try to kill him if I can, for if I do not he will certainly catch and kill me some day.' He therefore answered, 'Thank you, my dear little house. I like to hear your pretty voice. I am coming in in a minute, but first I must collect firewood to cook my dinner.' And he ran as fast as he could, and dragged all the dry branches and bits of stick he could find close up to the mouth of the den. Meantime the Alligator inside kept as quiet as a mouse, but he could not help laughing a little to himself, as he thought, 'So I have deceived this tiresome little Jackal at last. In a few minutes he will run in here, and then won't I snap him up!' When the Jackal had gathered together all the sticks he could find, and put them round the mouth of his den, he set them alight and pushed them as far into it as possible. There was such a quantity of them that they soon blazed up into a great fire, and the smoke and flames filled the den and smothered the wicked old Alligator, and burnt him to death, while the little Jackal ran up and down outside, dancing for joy and singing—

'How do you like my house, my friend? Is it nice and warm? Ding, dong! ding, dong! The Alligator is dying! ding, dong! ding, dong!

'He will trouble me no more. I have defeated my enemy! Ring a ting! ding a ting! ding, ding, dong!'