Chunky, Bumpy and Mumpy, her own three children-hippos, did as they were told, and paddled for shore as fast as they could. For, though a hippopotamus is a very big animal and looks very clumsy, there are few as large as he who can swim so well or so fast, or dive so easily.
On and on toward shore swam the hippo children, who, a few seconds before, had been playing tag. Last of all came Big Foot. As yet neither he nor any of the others knew why Mrs. Hippo wanted them to come ashore.
Big Foot partly turned in the water and looked back. Then he saw what it was. A big crocodile, which is something like an alligator, only with a longer and more slender nose, or snout, its mouth filled with long, sharp teeth, was swimming after the little hippos.
“Is that why you wanted us to come ashore?” asked Big Foot of Chunky’s mother, calling to her as he swam toward land.
“Yes, indeed it is!” she answered, in her big deep voice. “And don’t stop to ask any more questions! Hurry!”
So they all hurried and got safely into shallow water, where the crocodile dared not come, bold and hungry as he was. He thought perhaps big Mrs. Hippo would step on him and smash him. A crocodile can grab hold of a baby hippo, and take it away, but dare not touch a big hippo. So this crocodile, with an angry snap of his teeth, turned and swam back into the middle of the river again, to wait for another chance to grab a tender, baby hippo.
“My! how frightened I was!” said Mrs. Hippo, when she saw that her own and the rest of the animal children were safe. “I saw the crocodile coming toward you, but you didn’t see him because you were playing tag so hard.”
“It’s a good thing you called to us to swim out of his way,” said Big Foot. “I’m much obliged to you, Mrs. Hippo, and I’m sorry I pushed your Chunky in!”
“Oh, you didn’t hurt me!” laughed Chunky, as he stood on the bank and looked out to the middle of the river, where he could just see the nose of the crocodile in the water, as the long animal swam away.
And then Chunky had another surprise, for escaping from the crocodile surely was one. All of a sudden, out from the jungle flew a lot of birds, and before the hippos knew what was happening the birds began to settle down on their backs.