“The little Red One was very frightened, for this was not his plan, but he said nothing.
“‘Do you know, little Red Tortoise, in one moment I could swallow you?’
“‘Do you know, little Red Tortoise, in one moment I could swallow you.’”
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“Ach! how glad was the little Red Tortoise! But he only said in a small little voice, ‘Yes, noble Blue One, I belong to the nation whom it is the custom to swallow. Please swallow me!’
“Oubaas Giraffe picked him up and gave a little gulp, and the little Red Tortoise slipped half-way down his long throat. But ojé! here a strange thing happened. The little Red One would go no further. Instead of drawing in his head and legs and slipping down like a stone, like all the other tortoises had done, he wanted to see where he was going, so he stuck out his head, and fastened his sharp little nails into Oubaas Giraffe’s gullet, and there he hung like a bat on a wall.
“‘Go down, go down, little Tortoise! You choke me!’ The Old Blue One could hardly speak; his throat was so full of tortoise.
“‘Peep! peep!’ said the little Red One, and held on more tightly than ever.
“‘Come up, come up, little Tortoise! You kill me!’ The Old Blue One was stamping and gurgling now.