Just so stories

Transcriber's Note: Copies of the original page images with text may be found by clicking on the page number in the margin. Because it was necessary to move some of the illustrations so that they did not interrupt paragraphs, to see the text of the captions of those illustrations, click on the illustration itself.
How the Whale Got His Throat
Pictures by Joseph M. Gleeson Doubleday Page & Company 1912
Copyright, 1912, by Rudyard Kipling
Just So Stories, have also been copyrighted separately as follows: How the Whale Got His Tiny Throat. Copyright, 1897, by the Century Company. How the Camel Got His Hump. Copyright, 1897, by the Century Company. How the Rhinoceros Got His Wrinkly Skin. Copyright, 1898, by the Century Company. The Elephant's Child. Copyright, 1900, by Rudyard Kipling; Copyright, 1900, by the Curtis Publishing Company. The Beginning of the Armadillos. Copyright, 1900, by Rudyard Kipling. The Sing Song of Old Man Kangaroo. Copyright, 1900 by Rudyard Kipling. How the Leopard Got His Spots, Copyright, 1901, by Rudyard Kipling. How the First Letter Was Written. Copyright, 1901, by Rudyard Kipling. The Cat That Walked by Himself, Copyright, 1902, by Rudyard Kipling.

N the sea, once upon a time, O my Best Beloved, there was a Whale, and he ate fishes. He ate the starfish and the garfish, and the crab and the dab, and the plaice and the dace, and the skate and his mate, and the mackereel and the pickereel, and the really truly twirly-whirly eel. All the fishes he could find in all the sea he ate with his mouth—so! Till at last there was only one small fish left in all the sea, and he was a small 'Stute Fish, and he swam a little behind the Whale's right ear, so as to be out of harm's way. Then the Whale stood up on his tail and said, 'I'm hungry.' And the small 'Stute Fish said in a small 'stute voice, 'Noble and generous Cetacean, have you ever tasted Man?'
'No,' said the Whale. 'What is it like?'
'Nice,' said the small 'Stute Fish. 'Nice but nubbly.'