“I’ll go and call father,” went on Mumpy, as she waded into the water and began to swim out toward the grown hippos where they were having fun of their own in the river.
“I’ll show you that you can’t laugh at me!” grunted Big Foot, who came on as fast as he could. “I’ll bite you and push you into the river, and see how you like that.”
“Pooh! I’m not afraid!” said Chunky again, but really he was, a little bit.
Of course, if you had been in the jungle, or hidden among the reeds on the bank of the African river, you would not have understood what Chunky and Big Foot said. In fact, you would not even have guessed that they were talking; but they were, all the same, though to you the noises they made would have sounded only like grunts, squeals and puffings. But that is the way the hippos talk among themselves, and they mean the same things you mean when you talk, only a little different, of course.
“Oh, look! Big Foot is going to do something to Chunky!” cried the other boy hippos, and they gathered around to see what would happen. For fights often took place among the jungle animals. They did not know any better than to bite, kick and bump into one another when they were angry.
“I’ll fix you!” said Big Foot again.
“Pooh! I’m not afraid,” answered Chunky once more, just as you may often have heard boys say.
To tell the truth, Chunky would have been glad to run away, but he did not like to do it with so many of his young hippo friends looking on. They would have thought him a coward. So he had to stand and wait to see what Big Foot would do.
On came the larger hippo boy, and, all of a sudden, when he was quite close to Chunky, he gave a jump and bumped right into him. Chunky tried to get out of the way, but he was not quick enough.
The next minute he found himself slipping into the river, for Big Foot had knocked him off the bank. But Chunky did not mind falling into the water. He had been going in anyhow for a swim with his sister. Chunky was not hurt. No water even went up his nose, as it does up yours when you fall into the water. For Chunky could close his nose, as you close your mouth, and not a drop of water got in.