“I am coming to that, but you interrupt so. The panther roared and roared and roared, until the very softest of his roars shook the esteros, and the alligators were frightened and dived to the bottom of the water. Hearing all that noise, a humming-bird asked the panther what the noise was all about.”
“That was very good of the humming-bird. And what did the panther say?”
“He told the humming-bird all about it and asked him to kill the mouse. But that the humming-bird would not do.”
“Of course not. I never killed a mouse.”
“So then the panther said that if the humming-bird would take away the gum and the mud so that he could see again, he would do anything that he could in return. You see, little flower, the panther is wise because he travels so much and all things that travel know a great deal.”
“I am not so sure of that, Colibrí. All this summer I have travelled up this tree and so have gone a great distance, but I know very little.”
“That is different. No one wants a flower to be wise. To be beautiful is enough.”
“Oh!”
“But please listen and do not talk so much.”
“I am very sorry that I interrupted you, little humming-bird.”