Page:Tales of the Punjab.pdf/84

62 looking hungrily at the tender morsel before him said— ‘Lambikin! Lambikin! I'll EAT YOU!’

But Lambikin only gave a little frisk, and said—

‘To Granny’s house I go, Where I shall fatter grow, Then you can eat me so.’

The Vulture thought this reasonable, and let Lambikin pass.

And by and by he met a Tiger, and then a Wolf, and a Dog, and an Eagle, and all these, when they saw the tender little morsel, said— 'Lambikin! Lambikin! I’ll EAT YOU!’

But to all of them Lambikin replied, with a little frisk—

‘To Granny's house I go, Where I shall fatter grow, Then you can eat me so.’

At last he reached his Granny's house, and said, all in a great hurry, ‘Granny, dear, I’ve promised to get very fat; so, as people ought to keep their promises, please put me into the corn-bin at once’

So his Granny said he was a good boy, and put him into the corn-bin, and there the greedy little Lambikin stayed for seven days, and ate, and ate, and ate, until he could scarcely waddle, and his Granny said he was fat enough for anything, and must go home. But cunning little Lambikin said that would never do, for some animal would be sure to eat him on the way back, he was so plump and tender.

‘I’ll tell you what you must do,’ said Master Lambikin, ‘you must make a little drumikin out of the skin of my little brother who died, and then I