Little Yellow Wang-lo

by M. C. Bell

Once upon a time there was a little boy called Little Yellow Wang-lo. He lived with his father in a boat which was moored in a river near a town. His name was Fo-Pa (little Yellow Wang-lo always called him Pa). He was a duck merchant and had hundreds of ducks—white ducks, black ducks, brown ducks, big ducks, little baby ducks, and middle-sized ducks—ducks that said quack, drakes that said quork, and ducklings that said queek.

Little Yellow Wang-lo had to get up very early every morning to call the ducks close round the houseboat, and then he used to feed them; when they had eaten their breakfasts they all swam away down the river to look for little fishes, frogs and other things, and only came back at night when it was time to have supper and to go to bed.

One hot day Fo-Pa, who was a very fat little man, called little Yellow Wang-lo and told him to put on his Sunday clothes, take the little boat and row to land and sell the ducks in the market; then he was to buy a pig and bring it back to be roasted for dinner.

Little Yellow Wang-lo’s eyes shone with excitement at the idea of going on land, and his mouth watered at the prospect of roast pork for dinner. So he hurried into his best coat, hat and shoes, and, jumping into the boat, rowed quickly to land. He soon sold all his fat ducks in one corner of the market.

So then he went to another corner where the pigs were sold, and after looking at several pigs—black pigs, white pigs, red pigs, and spotted pigs—he chose a little black pig that had white feet; he tied a string to one of its legs and started off for home.