“All right,” said Chunky, “I will. Come on, Mumpy!” he called to his sister. “We’re going to have a game of water-tag.”
“Let’s all play!” cried Bumpo, who had not after all gone away. Then he slid down the river bank into the water.
“Yes, we’ll all play tag!” chimed in the rest of the hippos, and they were soon swimming and diving about in the water, splashing and bumping into one another almost as you boys and girls play when you go in bathing at the beach in the summer. Only, of course, the hippos, being very big, made heavy splashes.
“This is lots of fun!” cried Chunky, as he tagged Bumpy and then dived to get out of the way, for sometimes the hippos “tagged back,” just as you children play.
“Yes, it’s jolly fun!” yelled Big Foot.
So the animal children swam, splashed and dived in the water, having much more fun than when the one was angry at the other and had pushed him into the river.
All of a sudden, Mrs. Hippo, who had stayed on the bank after making Big Foot behave, gave a grunting cry.
“Quick!” she called in her own language. “Swim ashore, all you little hippos! Swim ashore, quick!”
“What’s the matter?” asked Big Foot. He thought he was too large to mind without first asking questions.
“Don’t stop to talk! Swim ashore as fast as you can!” cried Mrs. Hippo.