And by the side of the ant-hill
I ate the crow: Hurrah!”
And singing thus he went skipping homewards; and on the way he met a fowl and called to it to get out of the way or he would eat it,—singing:—
“I ate a gourdful of mice
And by the side of the ant-hill
I ate the crow:—Hurrah!”
And as the fowl did not move he ate it up; then he skipped on and came to a goat and he sang his verse and told it to get out of the way and as it did not, he ate it; and in the same way he met and killed a sheep and a cow and he ate the liver and lungs of the cow; and then he killed a buffalo and ate its liver and lungs; and by this time he was as full as he could hold. Then he came to a pool of water and he called to it to get out of the way or he would drink it up and as it did not move, he drank it dry. Then he came to a post and said “Get out of my way or I will jump over you”—
“I ate a gourdful of mice
And by the side of the ant-hill
I ate the crow—Hurrah!”