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The sun was scorching and the ground was shockingly dry.
The trees and bushes hung their leaves and the grass was parched and yellow, so that the ox could hardly find a green tuft to eat. The water in the river was so low that the fish swam along the bottom; and the brook had stopped running altogether. The animals lay in the shade and gasped for breath. In many places, both flowers and animals had died. Two-Legs and his wife and child were not much better off.
The only one who was really happy was the snake. He stretched himself in the sun and thought it delightful:
“Shine away, you dear sun,” he said. “The hotter the better. I am only just beginning to feel alive.”