So Little Black Mingo crept down to the river, and began to fill the big chatty with water. And while she was filling it the Mugger came creeping softly down behind her and caught her by the tail, saying, “Aha, Little Black Mingo, now I’ve got you.”
And Little Black Mingo said, “Oh! Please don’t eat me up, great big Mugger.”
“What will you give me, if I don’t eat you up?” said the Mugger. But Little Black Mingo was so poor she had nothing to give. So the Mugger caught her in his great cruel mouth and swam away with her to an island in the middle of the river and set her down beside a huge pile of eggs.
“Those are my eggs,” said he; “to-morrow a little mugger will come out of each, and then we will have a great feast, and we will eat you up.”
Then he waddled off to catch fish for himself, and left Little Black Mingo alone beside the big pile of eggs.
And Little Black Mingo sat down on a big stone and hid her face in her hands, and cried bitterly, because she couldn’t swim and she didn’t know how to get away.
Presently she heard a queer little squeaky noise that sounded like “Squeak, Squeak, Squeak!!! Oh Little Black Mingo, help me or I shall be drowned.” She got up and looked to see what was calling, and she saw a bush coming floating down the river with something wriggling and scrambling about in it, and as it came near she saw that it was a Mongoose that was in the bush. So she waded out as far as she could, and caught hold of the bush and pulled it in, and the poor Mongoose crawled up her arm on to her shoulder, and she carried him to shore.
When they got to shore the Mongoose shook himself, and Little Black Mingo wrung out her petticoat, and so they both very soon got dry.
The Mongoose then began to poke about for something to eat, and very soon he found the great big pile of Mugger’s eggs. “Oh, joy!” said he, “what’s this?”
“Those are Mugger’s eggs,” said Little Black Mingo.