’But，’saidtheTortoise，’whenyoupawyourmeatyoudropitintoaTortoisewithascoop。Whycan’tyouunderstand？’
’Youaremakingmyspotsache，’saidPaintedJaguar；’andbesides，Ididn’twantyouradviceatall。IonlywantedtoknowwhichofyouisHedgehogandwhichisTortoise。’
’Ishan’ttellyou，’saidStickly—Prickly。’butyoucanscoopmeoutofmyshellifyoulike。’
’Aha!’saidPaintedJaguar。’NowIknowyou’reTortoise。YouthoughtIwouldn’t!NowIwill。’PaintedJaguardartedouthispaddy—pawjustasStickly—Pricklycurledhimselfup，andofcourseJaguar’spaddy—pawwasjustfilledwithprickles。Worsethanthat，heknockedStickly—Pricklyawayandawayintothewoodsandthebushes，whereitwastoodarktofindhim。Thenheputhispaddy—pawintohismouth，andofcoursetheprickleshurthimworsethanever。Assoonashecouldspeakhesaid，’NowI
knowheisn’tTortoiseatall。But’——andthenhescratchedhisheadwithhisun—pricklypaw——’howdoIknowthatthisotherisTortoise？’
’ButIamTortoise，’saidSlow—and—Solid。Yourmotherwasquiteright。Shesaidthatyouweretoscoopmeoutofmyshellwithyourpaw。Begin。’
’Youdidn’tsayshesaidthataminuteago，saidPaintedJaguar，suckingthepricklesoutofhispaddy—paw。’Yousaidshesaidsomethingquitedifferent。’
’Well，supposeyousaythatIsaidthatshesaidsomethingquitedifferent，Idon’tseethatitmakesanydifference；becauseifshesaidwhatyousaidIsaidshesaid，it’sjustthesameasifIsaidwhatshesaidshesaid。Ontheotherhand，ifyouthinkshesaidthatyouweretouncoilmewithascoop，insteadofpawingmeintodropswithashell，Ican’thelpthat，canI？’
’Butyousaidyouwantedtobescoopedoutofyourshellwithmypaw，’saidPaintedJaguar。
’Ifyou’llthinkagainyou’llfindthatIdidn’tsayanythingofthekind。Isaidthatyourmothersaidthatyouweretoscoopmeoutofmyshell，’saidSlow—and—Solid。
’WhatwillhappenifIdo？’saidtheJaguarmostsniffilyandmostcautious。
’Idon’tknow，becauseI’veneverbeenscoopedoutofmyshellbefore；butItellyoutruly，ifyouwanttoseemeswimawayyou’veonlygottodropmeintothewater。
’Idon’tbelieveit，’saidPaintedJaguar。’You’vemixedupallthethingsmymothertoldmetodowiththethingsthatyouaskedmewhetherIwassurethatshedidn’tsay，tillIdon’tknowwhetherI’monmyheadormypaintedtail；andnowyoucomeandtellmesomethingIcanunderstand，anditmakesmemoremixythanbefore。MymothertoldmethatIwastodroponeofyoutwointothewater，andasyouseemsoanxioustobedroppedIthinkyoudon’twanttobedropped。SojumpintotheturbidAmazonandbequickaboutit。’
’IwarnyouthatyourMummywon’tbepleased。Don’ttellherI
didn’ttellyou，’saidSlow—Solid。
’Ifyousayanotherwordaboutwhatmymothersaid——’theJaguaranswered，buthehadnotfinishedthesentencebeforeSlow—and—SolidquietlydivedintotheturbidAmazon，swamunderwaterforalongway，andcameoutonthebankwhereStickly—Pricklywaswaitingforhim。
’Thatwasaverynarrowescape，’saidStickly—Prickly。’Idon’tribPaintedJaguar。Whatdidyoutellhimthatyouwere？’
’ItoldhimtruthfullythatIwasatruthfulTortoise，buthewouldn’tbelieveit，andhemademejumpintotherivertoseeifIwas，andIwas，andheissurprised。Nowhe’sgonetotellhisMummy。Listentohim!’
TheycouldhearPaintedJaguarroaringupanddownamongthetreesandthebushesbythesideoftheturbidAmazon，tillhisMummycame。
’Son，son!’saidhismothereversomanytimes，graciouslywavinghertail，’whathaveyoubeendoingthatyoushouldn’thavedone？’
’Itriedtoscoopsomethingthatsaiditwantedtobescoopedoutofitsshellwithmypaw，andmypawisfullofper—ickles，’saidPaintedJaguar。
’Son，son!’saidhismothereversomanytimes，graciouslywavinghertail，’bythepricklesinyourpaddy—pawIseethatthatmusthavebeenaHedgehog。Youshouldhavedroppedhimintothewater。
’Ididthattotheotherthing；andhesaidhewasaTortoise，andIdidn’tbelievehim，anditwasquitetrue，andhehasdivedundertheturbidAmazon，andhewon’tcomeupagain，andI
haven’tanythingatalltoeat，andIthinkwehadbetterfindlodgingssomewhereelse。TheyaretoocleverontheturbidAmazonforpoorme!’
’Son，son!’saidhismothereversomanytimes，graciouslywavinghertail，’nowattendtomeandrememberwhatIsay。AHedgehogcurlshimselfupintoaballandhispricklesstickouteverywhichwayatonce。BythisyoumayknowtheHedgehog。’
’Idon’tlikethisoldladyonelittlebit，’saidStickly—Prickly，undertheshadowofalargeleaf。’Iwonderwhatelsesheknows？’
’ATortoisecan’tcurlhimselfup，’MotherJaguarwenton，eversomanytimes，graciouslywavinghertail。’Heonlydrawshisheadandlegsintohisshell。Bythisyoumayknowthetortoise。’
’Idon’tlikethisoldladyatall——atall，’saidSlow—and—SolidTortoise。’EvenPaintedJaguarcan’tforgetthosedirections。
It’sagreatpitythatyoucan’tswim，Stickly—Prickly。’
’Don’ttalktome，’saidStickly—Prickly。’Justthinkhowmuchbetteritwouldbeifyoucouldcurlup。Thisisamess!ListentoPaintedJaguar。’
PaintedJaguarwassittingonthebanksoftheturbidAmazonsuckingpricklesoutofhisPawsandsayingtohimself——
’Can’tcurl，butcanswim——
Slow—Solid，that’shim!
Curlsup，butcan’tswim——
Stickly—Prickly，that’shim!’
’He’llneverforgetthatthismonthofSundays，’saidStickly—Prickly。’Holdupmychin，Slow—and—Solid。I’mgoingtotrytolearntoswim。Itmaybeuseful。’
’Excellent!’saidSlow—and—Solid；andheheldupStickly—Prickly’schin，whileStickly—PricklykickedinthewatersoftheturbidAmazon。
’You’llmakeafineswimmeryet，’saidSlow—and—Solid。’Now，ifyoucanunlacemyback—platesalittle，I’llseewhatIcandotowardscurlingup。Itmaybeuseful。’
Stickly—PricklyhelpedtounlaceTortoise’sback—plates，sothatbytwistingandstrainingSlow—and—Solidactuallymanagedtocurlupatiddyweebit。
’Excellent!’saidStickly—Prickly；’butIshouldn’tdoanymorejustnow。It’smakingyoublackintheface。KindlyleadmeintothewateronceagainandI’llpracticethatside—strokewhichyousayissoeasy。’AndsoStickly—Pricklypracticed，andSlow—Solidswamalongside。
’Excellent!’saidSlow—and—Solid。’Alittlemorepracticewillmakeyouaregularwhale。Now，ifImaytroubleyoutounlacemybackandfrontplatestwoholesmore，I’lltrythatfascinatingbendthatyousayissoeasy。Won’tPaintedJaguarbesurprised!’
’Excellent!’saidStickly—Prickly，allwetfromtheturbidAmazon。’Ideclare，Ishouldn’tknowyoufromoneofmyownfamily。Twoholes，Ithink，yousaid？Alittlemoreexpression，please，anddon’tgruntquitesomuch，orPaintedJaguarmayhearus。Whenyou’vefinished，Iwanttotrythatlongdivewhichyousayissoeasy。Won’tPaintedJaguarbesurprised!’
AndsoStickly—Pricklydived，andSlow—and—Soliddivedalongside。
’Excellent!’saidSlow—and—Solid。’AleetlemoreattentiontoholdingyourbreathandyouwillbeabletokeephouseatthebottomoftheturbidAmazon。NowI’lltrythatexerciseofputtingmyhindlegsroundmyearswhichyousayissopeculiarlycomfortable。Won’tPaintedJaguarbesurprised!’
’Excellent!’saidStickly—Prickly。’Butit’sstrainingyourback—platesalittle。Theyarealloverlappingnow，insteadoflyingsidebyside。’
’Oh，that’stheresultofexercise，’saidSlow—and—Solid。’I’venoticedthatyourpricklesseemtobemeltingintooneanother，andthatyou’regrowingtolookrathermorelikeapinecone，andlesslikeachestnut—burr，thanyouusedto。’
’AmI？’saidStickly—Prickly。’Thatcomesfrommysoakinginthewater。Oh，won’tPaintedJaguarbesurprised!’
Theywentonwiththeirexercises，eachhelpingtheother，tillmorningcame；andwhenthesunwashightheyrestedanddriedthemselves。Thentheysawthattheywerebothofthemquitedifferentfromwhattheyhadbeen。
’Stickly—Prickly，’saidTortoiseafterbreakfast，’IamnotwhatIwasyesterday；butIthinkthatImayyetamusePaintedJaguar。
’ThatwastheverythingIwasthinkingjustnow，’saidStickly—
Prickly。’Ithinkscalesareatremendousimprovementonprickles——tosaynothingofbeingabletoswim。Oh，won’tPaintedJaguarbesurprised!Let’sgoandfindhim。’
ByandbytheyfoundPaintedJaguar，stillnursinghispaddy—pawthathadbeenhurtthenightbefore。Hewassoastonishedthathefellthreetimesbackwardoverhisownpaintedtailwithoutstopping。
’Goodmorning!’saidStickly—Prickly。’AndhowisyourdeargraciousMummythismorning？’
’Sheisquitewell，thankyou，’saidPaintedJaguar；’butyoumustforgivemeifIdonotatthisprecisemomentrecallyourname。’
’That’sunkindofyou，’saidStickly—Prickly，’seeingthatthistimeyesterdayyoutriedtoscoopmeoutofmyshellwithyourpaw。’
’Butyouhadn’tanyshell。Itwasallprickles，’saidPaintedJaguar。’Iknowitwas。Justlookatmypaw!’
’YoutoldmetodropintotheturbidAmazonandbedrowned，’saidSlow—Solid。’Whyareyousorudeandforgetfulto—day？’
’Don’tyourememberwhatyourmothertoldyou？’saidStickly—
Prickly，——
’Can’tcurl，butcanswim——
Stickly—Prickly，that’shim!
Curlsup，butcan’tswim——
Slow—Solid，that’shim!’
ThentheybothcurledthemselvesupandrolledroundandroundPaintedJaguartillhiseyesturnedtrulycart—wheelsinhishead。
Thenhewenttofetchhismother。
’Mother，’hesaid，’therearetwonewanimalsinthewoodsto—
day，andtheonethatyousaidcouldn’tswim，swims，andtheonethatyousaidcouldn’tcurlup，curls；andthey’vegonesharesintheirprickles，Ithink，becausebothofthemarescalyallover，insteadofonebeingsmoothandtheotherveryprickly；and，besidesthat，theyarerollingroundandroundincircles，andI
don’tfeelcomfy。’
’Son，son!’saidMotherJaguareversomanytimes，graciouslywavinghertail，’aHedgehogisaHedgehog，andcan’tbeanythingbutaHedgehog；andaTortoiseisaTortoise，andcanneverbeanythingelse。’
’Butitisn’taHedgehog，anditisn’taTortoise。It’salittlebitofboth，andIdon’tknowitspropername。’
’Nonsense!’saidMotherJaguar。’Everythinghasitspropername。
Ishouldcallit"Armadillo"tillIfoundouttherealone。AndI
shouldleaveitalone。’
SoPaintedJaguardidashewastold，especiallyaboutleavingthemalone；butthecuriousthingisthatfromthatdaytothis，OBestBeloved，nooneonthebanksoftheturbidAmazonhasevercalledStickly—PricklyandSlow—SolidanythingexceptArmadillo。
ThereareHedgehogsandTortoisesinotherplaces，ofcourse（therearesomeinmygarden）；buttherealoldandcleverkind，withtheirscaleslyinglippety—lappetyoneovertheother，likepine—conescales，thatlivedonthebanksoftheturbidAmazonintheHighandFar—OffDays，arealwayscalledArmadillos，becausetheyweresoclever。
Sothat；allright，BestBeloved。Doyousee？
I’VEneversailedtheAmazon，I’veneverreachedBrazil；
ButtheDonandMagdelana，Theycangotherewhentheywill!
Yes，weeklyfromSouthampton，Greatsteamers，whiteandgold，GorollingdowntoRio（Rolldown——rolldowntoRio!）
AndI’dliketorolltoRioSomedaybeforeI’mold!
I’veneverseenaJaguar，NoryetanArmadillOdilloinginhisarmour，AndIs’poseIneverwill，UnlessIgotoRioThesewonderstobehold——
Rolldown——rolldowntoRio——
RollreallydowntoRio!
Oh，I’dlovetorolltoRioSomedaybeforeI’mold!
HOWTHEFIRSTLETTERWASWRITTEN
ONCEuponamostearlytimewasaNeolithicman。HewasnotaJuteoranAngle，orevenaDravidian，whichhemightwellhavebeen，BestBeloved，butnevermindwhy。HewasaPrimitive，andhelivedcavilyinaCave，andheworeveryfewclothes，andhecouldn’treadandhecouldn’twriteandhedidn’twantto，andexceptwhenhewashungryhewasquitehappy。HisnamewasTegumaiBopsulai，andthatmeans，’Man—who—does—not—put—his—foot—
forward—in—a—hurry’；butwe，OBestBeloved，willcallhimTegumai，forshort。Andhiswife’snamewasTeshumaiTewindrow，andthatmeans，’Lady—who—asks—a—very—many—questions’；butwe，O
BestBeloved，willcallherTeshumai，forshort。Andhislittlegirl—daughter’snamewasTaffimaiMetallumai，andthatmeans，’Small—person—without—any—manners—who—ought—to—be—spanked’；butI’mgoingtocallherTaffy。AndshewasTegumaiBopsulai’sBestBelovedandherownMummy’sBestBeloved，andshewasnotspankedhalfasmuchaswasgoodforher；andtheywereallthreeveryhappy。AssoonasTaffycouldrunaboutshewenteverywherewithherDaddyTegumai，andsometimestheywouldnotcomehometotheCavetilltheywerehungry，andthenTeshumaiTewindrowwouldsay，’Whereintheworldhaveyoutwobeento，togetsoshockingdirty？Really，myTegumai，you’renobetterthanmyTaffy。’
Nowattendandlisten!
OnedayTegumaiBopsulaiwentdownthroughthebeaver—swamptotheWagairivertospearcarp—fishfordinner，andTaffywenttoo。Tegumai’sspearwasmadeofwoodwithshark’steethattheend，andbeforehehadcaughtanyfishatallheaccidentallybrokeitcleanacrossbyjabbingitdowntoohardonthebottomoftheriver。Theyweremilesandmilesfromhome（ofcoursetheyhadtheirlunchwiththeminalittlebag），andTegumaihadforgottentobringanyextraspears。
’Here’saprettykettleoffish!’saidTegumai。’Itwilltakemehalfthedaytomendthis。’
’There’syourbigblackspearathome，’saidTaffy。’LetmerunbacktotheCaveandaskMummytogiveitme。’
’It’stoofarforyourlittlefatlegs，’saidTegumai。’Besides，youmightfallintothebeaver—swampandbedrowned。Wemustmakethebestofabadjob。’Hesatdownandtookoutalittleleathermendy—bag，fullofreindeer—sinewsandstripsofleather，andlumpsofbee’s—waxandresin，andbegantomendthespear。
Taffysatdowntoo，withhertoesinthewaterandherchininherhand，andthoughtveryhard。Thenshesaid——’Isay，Daddy，it’sanawfulnuisancethatyouandIdon’tknowhowtowrite，isn’tit？Ifwedidwecouldsendamessageforthenewspear。’
’Taffy，’saidTegumai，’howoftenhaveItoldyounottouseslang？"Awful"isn’taprettyword，butitcouldbeaconvenience，nowyoumentionit，ifwecouldwritehome。’
JustthenaStranger—mancamealongtheriver，buthebelongedtoafartribe，theTewaras，andhedidnotunderstandonewordofTegumai’slanguage。HestoodonthebankandsmiledatTaffy，becausehehadalittlegirl—daughterOfhisownathome。Tegumaidrewahankofdeer—sinewsfromhismendy—bagandbegantomendhisspear。
’Comehere，saidTaffy。’DoyouknowwheremyMummylives？’AndtheStranger—mansaid’Um!’being，asyouknow，aTewara。
’Silly!’saidTaffy，andshestampedherfoot，becauseshesawashoalofverybigcarpgoinguptheriverjustwhenherDaddycouldn’tusehisspear。
’Don’tbothergrown—ups，’saidTegumai，sobusywithhisspear—mendingthathedidnotturnround。
’Iaren’t，saidTaffy。’IonlywanthimtodowhatIwanthimtodo，andhewon’tunderstand。’
’Thendon’tbotherme，saidTegumai，andhewentonpullingandstrainingatthedeer—sinewswithhismouthfulloflooseends。
TheStranger—man——agenuineTewarahewas——satdownonthegrass，andTaffyshowedhimwhatherDaddywasdoing。TheStranger—manthought，thisisaverywonderfulchild。Shestampsherfootatmeandshemakesfaces。ShemustbethedaughterofthatnobleChiefwhoissogreatthathewon’ttakeanynoticeofme。’Sohesmiledmorepolitelythanever。
’Now，’saidTaffy，’IwantyoutogotomyMummy，becauseyourlegsarelongerthanmine，andyouwon’tfallintothebeaver—swamp，andaskforDaddy’sotherspear——theonewiththeblackhandlethathangsoverourfireplace。’
TheStranger—man（andhewasaTewara）thought，’Thisisavery，verywonderfulchild。Shewavesherarmsandsheshoutsatme，butIdon’tunderstandawordofwhatshesays。ButifIdon’tdowhatshewants，IgreatlyfearthatthathaughtyChief，Man—who—turns—his—back—on—callers，willbeangry。’Hegotupandtwistedabigflatpieceofbarkoffabirch—treeandgaveittoTaffy。Hedidthis，BestBeloved，toshowthathisheartwasaswhiteasthebirch—barkandthathemeantnoharm；butTaffydidn’tquiteunderstand。
’Oh!’saidshe。’NowIsee!YouwantmyMummy’sliving—address？
OfcourseIcan’twrite，butIcandrawpicturesifI’veanythingsharptoscratchwith。Pleaselendmetheshark’stoothoffyournecklace。’
TheStranger—man（andhewasaTewara）didn’tsayanything，SoTaffyputupherlittlehandandpulledatthebeautifulbeadandseedandshark—toothnecklaceroundhisneck。
TheStranger—man（andhewasaTewara）thought，’Thisisavery，very，verywonderfulchild。Theshark’stoothonmynecklaceisamagicshark’stooth，andIwasalwaystoldthatifanybodytoucheditwithoutmyleavetheywouldimmediatelyswelluporburst，butthischilddoesn’tswelluporburst，andthatimportantChief，Man—who—attends—strictly—to—his—business，whohasnotyettakenanynoticeofmeatall，doesn’tseemtobeafraidthatshewillswelluporburst。Ihadbetterbemorepolite。’
SohegaveTaffytheshark’stooth，andshelaydownflatonhertummywithherlegsintheair，likesomepeopleonthedrawing—roomfloorwhentheywanttodrawpictures，andshesaid，’NowI’lldrawyousomebeautifulpictures!Youcanlookovermyshoulder，butyoumustn’tjoggle。FirstI’lldrawDaddyfishing。
Itisn’tverylikehim；butMummywillknow，becauseI’vedrawnhisspearallbroken。Well，nowI’lldrawtheotherspearthathewants，theblack—handledspear。ItlooksasifitwasstickinginDaddy’sback，butthat’sbecausetheshark’stoothslippedandthispieceofbarkisn’tbigenough。That’sthespearIwantyoutofetch；soI’lldrawapictureofmemyself’splainingtoyou。Myhairdoesn’tstanduplikeI’vedrawn，butit’seasiertodrawthatway。NowI’lldrawyou。Ithinkyou’reverynicereally，butIcan’tmakeyouprettyinthepicture，soyoumustn’tbe’fended。Areyou’fended？’
TheStranger—man（andhewasaTewara）smiled。Hethought，’Theremustbeabigbattlegoingtobefoughtsomewhere，andthisextraordinarychild，whotakesmymagicshark’stoothbutwhodoesnotswelluporburst，istellingmetocallallthegreatChief’stribetohelphim。HeisagreatChief，orhewouldhavenoticedme。
’Look，’saidTaffy，drawingveryhardandratherscratchily，’nowI’vedrawnyou，andI’veputthespearthatDaddywantsintoyourhand，justtoremindyouthatyou’retobringit。NowI’llshowyouhowtofindmyMummy’sliving—address。Yougoalongtillyoucometotwotrees（thosearetrees），andthenyougooverahill（that’sahill），andthenyoucomeintoabeaver—swampallfullofbeavers。Ihaven’tputinallthebeavers，becauseIcan’tdrawbeavers，butI’vedrawntheirheads，andthat’sallyou’llseeofthemwhenyoucrosstheswamp。Mindyoudon’tfallin!
ThenourCaveisjustbeyondthebeaver—swamp。Itisn’tashighasthehillsreally，butIcan’tdrawthingsverysmall。That’smyMummyoutside。Sheisbeautiful。SheisthemostbeautifullestMummythereeverwas，butshewon’tbe’fendedwhensheseesI’vedrawnhersoplain。She’llbepleasedofmebecauseIcandraw。
Now，incaseyouforget，I’vedrawnthespearthatDaddywantsoutsideourCave。It’sinsidereally，butyoushowthepicturetomyMummyandshe’llgiveityou。I’vemadeherholdingupherhands，becauseIknowshe’llbesopleasedtoseeyou。Isn’titabeautifulpicture？Anddoyouquiteunderstand，orshallI
’splainagain？’
TheStranger—man（andhewasaTewara）lookedatthepictureandnoddedveryhard。Hesaidtohimself，’IfIdonotfetchthisgreatChief’stribetohelphim，hewillbeslainbyhisenemieswhoarecominguponallsideswithspears。NowIseewhythegreatChiefpretendednottonoticeme!Hefearedthathisenemieswerehidinginthebushesandwouldseehim。Thereforeheturnedtomehisback，andletthewiseandwondetfulchilddrawtheterriblepictureshowingmehisdifficulties。Iwillawayandgethelpforhimfromhistribe。’HedidnotevenaskTaffytheroad，butracedoffintothebusheslikethewind，withthebirch—barkinhishand，andTaffysatdownmostpleased。
NowthisisthepicturethatTaffyhaddrawnforhim!
’Whathaveyoubeendoing，Taffy？’saidTegumai。Hehadmendedhisspearandwascarefullywavingittoandfro。
’It’salittleberangementofmyown，Daddydear，’saidTaffy。
’Ifyouwon’taskmequestions，you’llknowallaboutitinalittletime，andyou’llbesurprised。Youdon’tknowhowsurprisedyou’llbe，Daddy!Promiseyou’llbesurprised。’
’Verywell，’saidTegumai，andwentonfishing。
TheStranger—man——didyouknowhewasaTewara？——hurriedawaywiththepictureandranforsomemiles，tillquitebyaccidenthefoundTeshumaiTewindrowatthedoorofherCave，talkingtosomeotherNeolithicladieswhohadcomeintoaPrimitivelunch。
TaffywasverylikeTeshumai，especiallyabouttheupperpartofthefaceandtheeyes，sotheStranger—man——alwaysapureTewara——smiledpolitelyandhandedTeshumaithebirch—bark。Hehadrunhard，sothathepanted，andhislegswerescratchedwithbrambles，buthestilltriedtobepolite。
AssoonasTeshumaisawthepictureshescreamedlikeanythingandflewattheStranger—man。TheotherNeolithicladiesatonceknockedhimdownandsatonhiminalonglineofsix，whileTeshumaipulledhishair。
’It’sasplainasthenoseonthisStranger—man’sface，’shesaid。’HehasstuckmyTegumaiallfullofspears，andfrightenedpoorTaffysothatherhairstandsallonend；andnotcontentwiththat，hebringsmeahorridpictureofhowitwasdone。
Look!’SheshowedthepicturetoalltheNeolithicladiessittingpatientlyontheStranger—man。’HereismyTegumaiwithhisarmbroken；hereisaspearstickingintohisback；hereisamanwithaspearreadytothrow；hereisanothermanthrowingaspearfromaCave，andhereareawholepackofpeople’（theywereTaffy’sbeaversreally，buttheydidlookratherlikepeople）
’comingupbehindTegumai。Isn’titshocking!’
’Mostshocking!’saidtheNeolithicladies，andtheyfilledtheStranger—man’shairwithmud（atwhichhewassurprised），andtheybeatupontheReverberatingTribalDrums，andcalledtogetherallthechiefsoftheTribeofTegumai，withtheirHetmansandDolmans，allNeguses，Woons，andAkhoondsoftheorganisation，inadditiontotheWarlocks，Angekoks，Juju—men，Bonzes，andtherest，whodecidedthatbeforetheychoppedtheStranger—man’sheadoffheshouldinstantlyleadthemdowntotheriverandshowthemwherehehadhiddenpoorTaffy。
BythistimetheStranger—man（inspiteofbeingaTewara）wasreallyannoyed。Theyhadfilledhishairquitesolidwithmud；
theyhadrolledhimupanddownonknobbypebbles；theyhadsatuponhiminalonglineofsix；theyhadthumpedhimandbumpedhimtillhecouldhardlybreathe；andthoughhedidnotunderstandtheirlanguage，hewasalmostsurethatthenamestheNeolithicladiescalledhimwerenotladylike。However，hesaidnothingtillalltheTribeofTegumaiwereassembled，andthenheledthembacktothebankoftheWagairiver，andtheretheyfoundTaffymakingdaisy—chains，andTegumaicarefullyspearingsmallcarpwithhismendedspear。
’Well，youhavebeenquick!’saidTaffy。’Butwhydidyoubringsomanypeople？Daddydear，thisismysurprise。Areyousurprised，Daddy？’
’Very，’saidTegumai；’butithasruinedallmyfishingfortheday。Why，thewholedear，kind，nice，clean，quietTribeishere，Taffy。’
Andsotheywere。FirstofallwalkedTeshumaiTewindrowandtheNeolithicladies，tightlyholdingontotheStranger—man，whosehairwasfullofmud（althoughhewasaTewara）。BehindthemcametheHeadChief，theVice—Chief，theDeputyandAssistantChiefs（allarmedtotheupperteeth），theHetmansandHeadsofHundreds，PlatoffswiththeirPlatoons，andDolmanswiththeirDetachments；Woons，Neguses，andAkhoondsrankingintherear（stillarmedtotheteeth）。BehindthemwastheTribeinhierarchicalorder，fromownersoffourcaves（oneforeachseason），aprivatereindeer—run，andtwosalmon—leaps，tofeudalandprognathousVilleins，semi—entitledtohalfabearskinofwinternights，sevenyardsfromthefire，andadscriptserfs，holdingthereversionofascrapedmarrow—boneunderheriot（Aren’tthosebeautifulwords，BestBeloved？）。Theywereallthere，prancingandshouting，andtheyfrightenedeveryfishfortwentymiles，andTegumaithankedtheminafluidNeolithicoration。
ThenTeshumaiTewindrowrandownandkissedandhuggedTaffyverymuchindeed；buttheHeadChiefoftheTribeofTegumaitookTegumaibythetop—knotfeathersandshookhimseverely。
’Explain!Explain!Explain!’criedalltheTribeofTegumai。
’Goodness’sakesalive!’saidTegumai。’Letgoofmytop—knot。
Can’tamanbreakhiscarp—spearwithoutthewholecountrysidedescendingonhim？You’reaveryinterferingpeople。’
’Idon’tbelieveyou’vebroughtmyDaddy’sblack—handledspearafterall，’saidTaffy。’AndwhatareyoudoingtomyniceStranger—man？’
Theywerethumpinghimbytwosandthreesandtenstillhiseyesturnedroundandround。HecouldonlygaspandpointatTaffy。
’Wherearethebadpeoplewhospearedyou，mydarling？’saidTeshumaiTewindrow。
’Thereweren’tany，’saidTegumai。’Myonlyvisitorthismorningwasthepoorfellowthatyouaretryingtochoke。Aren’tyouwell，orareyouill，OTribeofTegumai？’
’Hecamewithahorriblepicture，’saidtheHeadChief，——’apicturethatshowedyouwerefullofspears。’
’Er—um—Pr’apsI’dbetter’splainthatIgavehimthatpicture，’
saidTaffy，butshedidnotfeelquitecomfy。
’You!’saidtheTribeofTegumaialltogether。
’Small—person—with—no—manners—who—ought—to—be—spanked!You？’
’Taffydear，I’mafraidwe’reinforalittletrouble，’saidherDaddy，andputhisarmroundher，soshedidn’tcare。
’Explain!Explain!Explain!’saidtheHeadChiefoftheTribeofTegumai，andhehoppedononefoot。
’IwantedtheStranger—mantofetchDaddy’sspear，soIdrawdedit，’saidTaffy。’Therewasn’tlotsofspears。Therewasonlyonespear。Idrawdeditthreetimestomakesure。Icouldn’thelpitlookingasifitstuckintoDaddy’shead——therewasn’troomonthebirch—bark；andthosethingsthatMummycalledbadpeoplearemybeavers。Idrawdedthemtoshowhimthewaythroughtheswamp；
andIdrawdedMummyatthemouthoftheCavelookingpleasedbecauseheisaniceStranger—man，andIthinkyouarejustthestupidestpeopleintheworld，’saidTaffy。’Heisaveryniceman。Whyhaveyoufilledhishairwithmud？Washhim!’
Nobodysaidanythingatallforalongtime，tilltheHeadChieflaughed；thentheStranger—man（whowasatleastaTewara）
laughed；thenTegumailaughedtillhefelldownflatonthebank；
thenalltheTribelaughedmoreandworseandlouder。TheonlypeoplewhodidnotlaughwereTeshumaiTewindrowandalltheNeolithicladies。Theywereverypolitetoalltheirhusbands，andsaid’Idiot!’eversooften。
ThentheHeadChiefoftheTribeofTegumaicriedandsaidandsang，’O
Small—person—with—out—any—manners—who—ought—to—be—spanked，you’vehituponagreatinvention!’
’Ididn’tintendto；IonlywantedDaddy’sblack—handledspear，’
saidTaffy。
’Nevermind。Itisagreatinvention，andsomedaymenwillcallitwriting。Atpresentitisonlypictures，and，aswehaveseento—day，picturesarenotalwaysproperlyunderstood。Butatimewillcome，OBabeofTegumai，whenweshallmakeletters——alltwenty—sixof’em，——andwhenweshallbeabletoreadaswellastowrite，andthenweshallalwayssayexactlywhatwemeanwithoutanymistakes。LettheNeolithicladieswashthemudoutofthestranger’shair。’
’Ishallbegladofthat，’saidTaffy，’because，afterall，thoughyou’vebroughteverysingleotherspearintheTribeofTegumai，you’veforgottenmyDaddy’sblack—handledspear。’
ThentheHeadChiefcriedandsaidandsang，’Taffydear，thenexttimeyouwriteapicture—letter，you’dbettersendamanwhocantalkourlanguagewithit，toexplainwhatitmeans。Idon’tminditmyself，becauseIamaHeadChief，butit’sverybadfortherestoftheTribeofTegumai，and，asyoucansee，itsurprisesthestranger。’
ThentheyadoptedtheStranger—man（agenuineTewaraofTewar）
intotheTribeofTegumai，becausehewasagentlemananddidnotmakeafussaboutthemudthattheNeolithicladieshadputintohishair。Butfromthatdaytothis（andIsupposeitisallTaffy’sfault），veryfewlittlegirlshaveeverlikedlearningtoreadorwrite。MostofthemprefertodrawpicturesandplayaboutwiththeirDaddies——justlikeTaffy。
THERErunsaroadbyMerrowDown——
Agrassytrackto—dayitisAnhouroutofGuildfordtown，AbovetheriverWeyitis。
Here，whentheyheardthehorse—bellsring，TheancientBritonsdressedandrodeTowatchthedarkPhoeniciansbringTheirgoodsalongtheWesternRoad。
Andhere，orhereabouts，theymetToholdtheirracialtalksandsuch——
TobarterbeadsforWhitbyjet，Andtinforgayshelltorquesandsuch。
Butlongandlongbeforethattime（Whenbisonusedtoroamonit）
DidTaffyandherDaddyclimbThatdown，andhadtheirhomeonit。
ThenbeaversbuiltinBroadstonebrookAndmadeaswampwhereBramleystands：
AndhearsfromSherewouldcomeandlookForTaffimaiwhereShamleystands。
TheWey，thatTaffycalledWagai，Wasmorethansixtimesbiggerthen；
AndalltheTribeofTegumaiTheycutanoblefigurethen!
HOWTHEALPHABETWASMADE
THEweekafterTaffimaiMetallumai（wewillstillcallherTaffy，BestBeloved）madethatlittlemistakeaboutherDaddy’sspearandtheStranger—manandthepicture—letterandall，shewentcarp—fishingagainwithherDaddy。HerMummywantedhertostayathomeandhelphanguphidestodryonthebigdrying—polesoutsidetheirNeolithicCave，butTaffyslippedawaydowntoherDaddyquiteearly，andtheyfished。Presentlyshebegantogiggle，andherDaddysaid，’Don’tbesilly，child。’
’Butwasn’titinciting!’saidTaffy。’Don’tyourememberhowtheHeadChiefpuffedouthischeeks，andhowfunnytheniceStranger—manlookedwiththemudinhishair？’
’WelldoI，’saidTegumai。’Ihadtopaytwodeerskins——softoneswithfringes——totheStranger—manforthethingswedidtohim。’
’Wedidn’tdoanything，’saidTaffy。’ItwasMummyandtheotherNeolithicladies——andthemud。’
’Wewon’ttalkaboutthat，’saidherDaddy，’Let’shavelunch。’
Taffytookamarrow—boneandsatmousy—quietfortenwholeminutes，whileherDaddyscratchedonpiecesofbirch—barkwithashark’stooth。Thenshesaid，’Daddy，I’vethinkedofasecretsurprise。Youmakeanoise——anysortofnoise。’
’Ah!’saidTegumai。’Willthatdotobeginwith？’
’Yes，’saidTaffy。’Youlookjustlikeacarp—fishwithitsmouthopen。Sayitagain，please。’
’Ah!ah!ah!’saidherDaddy。’Don’tberude，mydaughter。’
’I’mnotmeaningrude，reallyandtruly，’saidTaffy。’It’spartofmysecret—surprise—think。Dosayah，Daddy，andkeepyourmouthopenattheend，andlendmethattooth。I’mgoingtodrawacarp—fish’smouthwide—open。’
’Whatfor？’saidherDaddy。
’Don’tyousee？’saidTaffy，scratchingawayonthebark。’Thatwillbeourlittlesecrets’prise。WhenIdrawacarp—fishwithhismouthopeninthesmokeatthebackofourCave——ifMummydoesn’tmind——itwillremindyouofthatah—noise。Thenwecanplaythatitwasmejumpedoutofthedarkands’prisedyouwiththatnoise——sameasIdidinthebeaver—swamplastwinter。’
’Really？’saidherDaddy，inthevoicethatgrown—upsusewhentheyaretrulyattending。’Goon，Taffy。’
’Ohbother!’shesaid。’Ican’tdrawallofacarp—fish，butI
candrawsomethingthatmeansacarp—fish’smouth。Don’tyouknowhowtheystandontheirheadsrootinginthemud？Well，here’sapretencecarp—fish（wecanplaythattherestofhimisdrawn）。
Here’sjusthismouth，andthatmeansah。’Andshedrewthis。
（1。）
’That’snotbad，’saidTegumai，andscratchedonhisownpieceofbarkforhimself；butyou’veforgottenthefeelerthathangsacrosshismouth。’
’ButIcan’tdraw，Daddy。’
’Youneedn’tdrawanythingofhimexceptjusttheopeningofhismouthandthefeeleracross。Thenwe’llknowhe’sacarp—fish，’causetheperchesandtroutshaven’tgotfeelers。Lookhere，Taffy。’Andhedrewthis。（2。）
’NowI’llcopyit。’saidTaffy。’Willyouunderstandthiswhenyouseeit？’
’Perfectly，’saidherDaddy。
Andshedrewthis。（3。）’AndI’llbequiteass’prisedwhenIseeitanywhere，asifyouhadjumpedoutfrombehindatreeandsaid’"Ah!"’
’Now，makeanothernoise，’saidTaffy，veryproud。
’Yah!’saidherDaddy，veryloud。
’H’m，’saidTaffy。’That’samixynoise。Theendpartisah—carp—fish—mouth；butwhatcanwedoaboutthefrontpart？Yer—
yer—yerandah!Ya!’
’It’sverylikethecarp—fish—mouthnoise。Let’sdrawanotherbitofthecarp—fishandjoin’em，’saidherDaddy。Hewasquiteincitedtoo。
’No。Ifthey’rejoined，I’llforget。Drawitseparate。Drawhistail。Ifhe’sstandingonhisheadthetailwillcomefirst。
’Sides，IthinkIcandrawtailseasiest，’saidTaffy。
’Agoodnotion，’saidTegumai。"Here’sacarp—fishtailfortheyer—noise。’Andhedrewthis。（4。）
’I’lltrynow，’saidTaffy。’’MemberIcan’tdrawlikeyou，Daddy。WillitdoifIjustdrawthesplitpartofthetail，andthesticky—downlineforwhereitjoins？’Andshedrewthis。（5。）
HerDaddynodded，andhiseyeswereshinybrightwith’citement。
’That’sbeautiful，’shesaid。’Nowmakeanothernoise，Daddy。’
’Oh!’saidherDaddy，veryloud。
’That’squiteeasy，’saidTaffy。’Youmakeyourmouthallaroundlikeaneggorastone。Soaneggorastonewilldoforthat。’
’Youcan’talwaysfindeggsorstones。We’llhavetoscratcharoundsomethinglikeone。’Andhedrewthis。（6。）
’Mygracious!’saidTaffy，’whatalotofnoise—pictureswe’vemade，——carp—mouth，carp—tail，andegg!Now，makeanothernoise，Daddy。’
’Ssh!’saidherDaddy，andfrownedtohimself，butTaffywastooincitedtonotice。
’That’squiteeasy，’shesaid，scratchingonthebark。
’Eh，what？’saidherDaddy。’ImeantIwasthinking，anddidn’twanttobedisturbed。’
’It’sanoisejustthesame。It’sthenoiseasnakemakes，Daddy，whenitisthinkinganddoesn’twanttobedisturbed。
Let’smakethessh—noiseasnake。Willthisdo？’Andshedrewthis。（7。）
’There，’shesaid。’That’sanothers’prise—secret。Whenyoudrawahissy—snakebythedoorofyourlittleback—cavewhereyoumendthespears，I’llknowyou’rethinkinghard；andI’llcomeinmostmousy—quiet。Andifyoudrawitonatreebytheriverwhenyouarefishing，I’llknowyouwantmetowalkmostmostmousy—quiet，soasnottoshakethebanks。’
’Perfectlytrue，’saidTegumai。Andthere’smoreinthisgamethanyouthink。Taffy，dear，I’veanotionthatyourDaddy’sdaughterhashituponthefinestthingthatthereeverwassincetheTribeofTegumaitooktousingshark’steethinsteadofflintsfortheirspear—heads。Ibelievewe’vefoundoutthebigsecretoftheworld。’
’Why？’saidTaffy，andhereyesshonetoowithincitement。
’I’llshow，’saidherDaddy。’What’swaterintheTegumailanguage？’
’Ya，ofcourse，anditmeansrivertoo——likeWagai—ya——theWagairiver。’
’Whatisbadwaterthatgivesyoufeverifyoudrinkit——blackwater——swamp—water？’
’Yo，ofcourse。’
’Nowlook，’saidherDaddy。’S’poseyousawthisscratchedbythesideofapoolinthebeaver—swamp？’Andhedrewthis。（8。）
’Carp—tailandroundegg。Twonoisesmixed!Yo，badwater，’
saidTaffy。’’CourseIwouldn’tdrinkthatwaterbecauseI’dknowyousaiditwasbad。’
’ButIneedn’tbenearthewateratall。Imightbemilesaway，hunting，andstill——’
’Andstillitwouldbejustthesameasifyoustoodthereandsaid，"G’way，Taffy，oryou’llgetfever。"Allthatinacarp—fish—tailandaroundegg!ODaddy，wemusttellMummy，quick!’andTaffydancedallroundhim。
’Notyet，’saidTegumai；’nottillwe’vegonealittlefurther。
Let’ssee。Yoisbadwater，butSoisfoodcookedonthefire，isn’tit？’Andhedrewthis。（9。）
’Yes。Snakeandegg，’saidTaffy’Sothatmeansdinner’sready。
Ifyousawthatscratchedonatreeyou’dknowitwastimetocometotheCave。So’dI。’
’MyWinkie!’saidTegumai。’That’struetoo。Butwaitaminute。
Iseeadifficulty。SOmeans"comeandhavedinner，"butshomeansthedrying—poleswherewehangourhides。’
’Horridolddrying—poles!’saidTaffy。’Ihatehelpingtohangheavy，hot，hairyhidesonthem。Ifyoudrewthesnakeandegg，andIthoughtitmeantdinner，andIcameinfromthewoodandfoundthatitmeantIwastohelpMummyhangthetwohidesonthedrying—poles，whatwouldIdo？’
’You’dbecross。So’dMummy。Wemustmakeanewpictureforsho。
Wemustdrawaspottysnakethathissessh—sh，andwe’llplaythattheplainsnakeonlyhissesssss。’
’Icouldn’tbesurehowtoputinthespots，’saidTaffy。’Andp’rapsifyouwereinahurryyoumightleavethemout，andI’dthinkitwassowhenitwassho，andthenMummywouldcatchmejustthesame。No!Ithinkwe’dbetterdrawapictureofthehorridhighdrying—polestheirveryselves，andmakequitesure。
I’llputtheminjustafterthehissy—snake。Look!’Andshedrewthis。（10。）
’P’rapsthat’ssafest。It’sverylikeourdrying—poles，anyhow，’
saidherDaddy，laughing。’NowI’llmakeanewnoisewithasnakeanddrying—polesoundinit。I’llsayshi。That’sTegumaiforspear，Taffy。’Andhelaughed。
’Don’tmakefunofme，’saidTaffy，asshethoughtofherpicture—letterandthemudintheStranger—man’shair。’Youdrawit，Daddy。’
’Wewon’thavebeaversorhillsthistime，eh？’saidherDaddy，’I’lljustdrawastraightlineformyspear。’andhedrewthis。
（11。）
’EvenMummycouldn’tmistakethatformebeingkilled。’
’Pleasedon’t，Daddy。Itmakesmeuncomfy。Dosomemorenoises。
We’regettingonbeautifully。’
’Er—hm!’saidTegumai，lookingup。’We’llsayshu。Thatmeanssky。’
Taffydrewthesnakeandthedrying—pole。Thenshestopped。’Wemustmakeanewpictureforthatendsound，mustn’twe？’
’Shu—shu—u—u—u!’saidherDaddy。’Why，it’sjustliketheround—egg—soundmadethin。’
’Thens’posewedrawathinroundegg，andpretendit’safrogthathasn’teatenanythingforyears。’
’N—no，’saidherDaddy。’Ifwedrewthatinahurrywemightmistakeitfortheroundeggitself。Shu—shu—shu!’Itellyouwhatwe’lldo。We’llopenalittleholeattheendoftheroundeggtoshowhowtheO—noiserunsoutallthin，ooo—oo—oo。Likethis。’Andhedrewthis。（12。）
’Oh，that’slovely!Muchbetterthanathinfrog。Goon，’saidTaffy，usinghershark’stooth。HerDaddywentondrawing，andhishandshookwithincitement。Hewentontillhehaddrawnthis。（13。）
’Don’tlookup，Taffy，’hesaid。’TryifyoucanmakeoutwhatthatmeansintheTegumailanguage。Ifyoucan，we’vefoundtheSecret。’
’Snake——pole——broken——egg——carp——tailandcarp—mouth，’saidTaffy。’Shu—ya。Sky—water（rain）。’Justthenadropfellonherhand，forthedayhadcloudedover。’Why，Daddy，it’sraining。
Wasthatwhatyoumeanttotellme？’
’Ofcourse，’saidherDaddy。’AndItoldityouwithoutsayingaword，didn’tI？’
’Well，IthinkIwouldhaveknownitinaminute，butthatraindropmademequitesure。I’llalwaysremembernow。Shu—yameansrain，or"itisgoingtorain。"Why，Daddy!’Shegotupanddancedroundhim。’S’poseyouwentoutbeforeIwasawake，anddrawedshu—yainthesmokeonthewall，I’dknowitwasgoingtorainandI’dtakemybeaver—skinhood。Wouldn’tMummybesurprised？’
Tegumaigotupanddanced。（Daddiesdidn’tminddoingthosethingsinthosedays。）’Morethanthat!Morethanthat!’hesaid。
’S’poseIwantedtotellyouitwasn’tgoingtorainmuchandyoumustcomedowntotheriver，whatwouldwedraw？SaythewordsinTegumai—talkfirst。’
’Shu—ya—las，yamaru。（Sky—waterending。Rivercometo。）whatalotofnewsounds!Idon’tseehowwecandrawthem。’
’ButIdo——butIdo!’saidTegumai。’Justattendaminute，Taffy，andwewon’tdoanymoreto—day。We’vegotshu—yaallright，haven’twe？Butthislasisateaser。La—la—la’andhewavedhisshark—tooth。
’There’sthehissy—snakeattheendandthecarp—mouthbeforethesnake——as—as—as。Weonlywantla—la，’saidTaffy。
’Iknowit，butwehavetomakela—la。Andwe’rethefirstpeopleinalltheworldwho’veevertriedtodoit，Taffimai!’
’Well，’saidTaffy，yawning，forshewasrathertired。’Lasmeansbreakingorfinishingaswellasending，doesn’tit？’
’Soitdoes，’saidTegumai。’To—lasmeansthatthere’snowaterinthetankforMummytocookwith——justwhenI’mgoinghunting，too。’
’Andshi—lasmeansthatyourspearisbroken。IfI’donlythoughtofthatinsteadofdrawingsillybeaverpicturesfortheStranger!’
’La!La!La!’saidTegumai，waivinghisstickandfrowning。’Ohbother!’
’Icouldhavedrawnshiquiteeasily，’Taffywenton。’ThenI’dhavedrawnyourspearallbroken——thisway!’Andshedrew。（14。）
’Theverything，’saidTegumai。’That’slaallover。Itisn’tlikeanyoftheothermarkseither。’Andhedrewthis。（15。）
’Nowforya。Oh，we’vedonethatbefore。Nowformaru。
Mum—mum—mum。Mumshutsone’smouthup，doesn’tit？We’lldrawashutmouthlikethis。’Andhedrew。（16。）
’Thenthecarp—mouthopen。ThatmakesMa—ma—ma!Butwhataboutthisrrrrr—thing，Taffy？’
’Itsoundsallroughandedgy，likeyourshark—toothsawwhenyou’recuttingoutaplankforthecanoe，’saidTaffy。
’Youmeanallsharpattheedges，likethis？’saidTegumai。Andhedrew。（17。）
’’Xactly，’saidTaffy。’Butwedon’twantallthoseteeth：onlyputtwo。’
’I’llonlyputinone，’saidTegumai。’IfthisgameofoursisgoingtobewhatIthinkitwill，theeasierwemakeoursound—
picturesthebetterforeverybody。’Andhedrew。（18。）
’Now，we’vegotit，’saidTegumai，standingononeleg。’I’lldraw’emallinastringlikefish。’
’Hadn’twebetterputalittlebitofstickorsomethingbetweeneachword，so’stheywon’trubupagainsteachotherandjostle，sameasiftheywerecarps？’
’Oh，I’llleaveaspaceforthat，’saidherDaddy。Andveryincitedlyhedrewthemallwithoutstopping，onabignewbitofbirch—bark。（19。）
’Shu—ya—lasya—maru，’saidTaffy，readingitoutsoundbysound。
’That’senoughforto—day，’saidTegumai。’Besides，you’regettingtired，Taffy。Nevermind，dear。We’llfinishitallto—
morrow，andthenwe’llberememberedforyearsandyearsafterthebiggesttreesyoucanseeareallchoppedupforfirewood。’
Sotheywenthome，andallthateveningTegumaisatononesideofthefireandTaffyontheother，drawingya’sandyo’sandshu’sandshi’sinthesmokeonthewallandgigglingtogethertillherMummysaid，’Really，Tegumai，you’reworsethanmyTaffy。’
’Pleasedon’tmind，’saidTaffy。’It’sonlyoursecret—s’prise，Mummydear，andwe’lltellyouallaboutittheveryminuteit’sdone；butpleasedon’taskmewhatitisnow，orelseI’llhavetotell。’
SoherMummymostcarefullydidn’t；andbrightandearlynextmorningTegumaiwentdowntotherivertothinkaboutnewsoundpictures，andwhenTaffygotupshesawYa—las（waterisendingorrunningout）chalkedonthesideofthebigstonewater—tank，outsidetheCave。
’Um，’saidTaffy。’Thesepicture—soundsareratherabother!
Daddy’sjustasgoodascomeherehimselfandtoldmetogetmorewaterforMummytocookwith。’Shewenttothespringatthebackofthehouseandfilledthetankfromabarkbucket，andthensherandowntotheriverandpulledherDaddy’sleftear——theonethatbelongedtohertopullwhenshewasgood。
’Nowcomealongandwe’lldrawalltheleft—oversound—pictures，’
saidherDaddy，andtheyhadamostincitingdayofit，andabeautifullunchinthemiddle，andtwogamesofromps。WhentheycametoT，Taffysaidthatashername，andherDaddy’s，andherMummy’sallbeganwiththatsound，theyshoulddrawasortoffamilygroupofthemselvesholdinghands。Thatwasallverywelltodrawonceortwice；butwhenitcametodrawingitsixorseventimes，TaffyandTegumaidrewitscratchierandscratchier，tillatlasttheT—soundwasonlyathinlongTegumaiwithhisarmsouttoholdTaffyandTeshumai。Youcanseefromthesethreepicturespartlyhowithappened。（20，21，22。）
Manyoftheotherpicturesweremuchtoobeautifultobeginwith，especiallybeforelunch，butastheyweredrawnoverandoveragainonbirch—bark，theybecameplainerandeasier，tillatlastevenTegumaisaidhecouldfindnofaultwiththem。Theyturnedthehissy—snaketheotherwayroundfortheZ—sound，toshowitwashissingbackwardsinasoftandgentleway（23）；andtheyjustmadeatwiddleforE，becauseitcameintothepicturessooften（24）；andtheydrewpicturesofthesacredBeaveroftheTegumaisfortheB—sound（25，26，27，28）；andbecauseitwasanasty，nosynoise，theyjustdrewnosesfortheN—sound，tilltheyweretired（29）；andtheydrewapictureofthebiglake—pike’smouthforthegreedyGa—sound（30）；andtheydrewthepike’smouthagainwithaspearbehinditforthescratchy，hurtyKa—sound（31）；
andtheydrewpicturesofalittlebitofthewindingWagairiverforthenicewindy—windyWa—sound（32，33）；andsoonandsoforthandsofollowingtilltheyhaddoneanddrawnallthesound—picturesthattheywanted，andtherewastheAlphabet，allcomplete。
Andafterthousandsandthousandsandthousandsofyears，andafterHieroglyphicsandDemotics，andNilotics，andCryptics，andCufics，andRunics，andDorics，andIonics，andallsortsofotherricksandtricks（becausetheWoons，andtheNeguses，andtheAkhoonds，andtheRepositoriesofTraditionwouldneverleaveagoodthingalonewhentheysawit），thefineoldeasy，understandableAlphabet——A，B，C，D，E，andtherestof’em——gotbackintoitspropershapeagainforallBestBelovedstolearnwhentheyareoldenough。
ButIrememberTegumaiBopsulai，andTaffimaiMetallumaiandTeshumaiTewindrow，herdearMummy，andallthedaysgoneby。Anditwasso——justso——alittletimeago——onthebanksofthebigWagai!
OFalltheTribeofTegumaiWhocutthatfigure，noneremain，——
OnMerrowDownthecuckooscryThesilenceandthesunremain。
ButasthefaithfulyearsreturnAndheartsunwoundedsingagain，ComesTaffydancingthroughthefernToleadtheSurreyspringagain。
Herbrowsareboundwithbracken—fronds，Andgoldenelf—locksflyabove；
HereyesarebrightasdiamondsAndbluerthantheskiesabove。
Inmocassinsanddeer—skincloak，Unfearing，freeandfairsheflits，Andlightsherlittledamp—woodsmokeToshowherDaddywheresheflits。
Forfar——oh，veryfarbehind，Sofarshecannotcalltohim，ComesTegumaialonetofindThedaughterthatwasalltohim。
THECRABTHATPLAYEDWITHTHESEA
BEFOREtheHighandFar—OffTimes，OmyBestBeloved，cametheTimeoftheVeryBeginnings；andthatwasinthedayswhentheEldestMagicianwasgettingThingsready。FirsthegottheEarthready；thenhegottheSeaready；andthenhetoldalltheAnimalsthattheycouldcomeoutandplay。AndtheAnimalssaid，’OEldestMagician，whatshallweplayat？’andhesaid，’Iwillshowyou。HetooktheElephant——All—the—Elephant—there—was——andsaid，’PlayatbeinganElephant，’andAll—the—Elephant—there—wasplayed。HetooktheBeaver——All—the—Beaver—there—wasandsaid，’PlayatbeingaBeaver，’andAll—theBeaver—there—wasplayed。
HetooktheCow——All—theCow—there—was——andsaid，’PlayatbeingaCow，’andAll—the—Cow—there—wasplayed。HetooktheTurtle——All—the—Turtlethere—wasandsaid，’PlayatbeingaTurtle，’andAll—the—Turtle—there—wasplayed。Onebyonehetookallthebeastsandbirdsandfishesandtoldthemwhattoplayat。
Buttowardsevening，whenpeopleandthingsgrowrestlessandtired，therecameuptheMan（Withhisownlittlegirl—daughter？）——Yes，withhisownbestbelovedlittlegirl—daughtersittinguponhisshoulder，andhesaid，’Whatisthisplay，EldestMagician？’AndtheEldestMagiciansaid，’Ho，SonofAdam，thisistheplayoftheVeryBeginning；butyouaretoowiseforthisplay。’AndtheMansalutedandsaid，’Yes，Iamtoowiseforthisplay；butseethatyoumakealltheAnimalsobedienttome。’
Now，whilethetwoweretalkingtogether，PauAmmatheCrab，whowasnextinthegame，scuttledoffsidewaysandsteppedintothesea，sayingtohimself，’Iwillplaymyplayaloneinthedeepwaters，andIwillneverbeobedienttothissonofAdam。’Nobodysawhimgoawayexceptthelittlegirl—daughterwheresheleanedontheMan’sshoulder。AndtheplaywentontilltherewerenomoreAnimalsleftwithoutorders；andtheEldestMagicianwipedthefinedustoffhishandsandwalkedabouttheworldtoseehowtheAnimalswereplaying。
HewentNorth，BestBeloved，andhefoundAll—the—Elephant—there—wasdiggingwithhistusksandstampingwithhisfeetinthenicenewcleanearththathadbeenmadereadyforhim。
’Kun？’saidAll—the—Elephant—there—was，meaning，’Isthisright？’
’Payahkun，’saidtheEldestMagician，meaning，’Thatisquiteright’；andhebreatheduponthegreatrocksandlumpsofearththatAll—the—Elephant—there—washadthrownup，andtheybecamethegreatHimalayanMountains，andyoucanlookthemoutonthemap。
HewentEast，andhefoundAll—the—Cowthere—wasfeedinginthefieldthathadbeenmadereadyforher，andshelickedhertongueroundawholeforestatatime，andswalloweditandsatdowntochewhercud。
’Kun？’saidAll—the—Cow—there—was。
’Payahkun，’saidtheEldestMagician；andhebreatheduponthebarepatchwhereshehadeaten，andupontheplacewhereshehadsatdown，andonebecamethegreatIndianDesert，andtheotherbecametheDesertofSahara，andyoucanlookthemoutonthemap。
HewentWest，andhefoundAll—the—Beaver—there—wasmakingabeaver—damacrossthemouthsofbroadriversthathadbeengotreadyforhim。
’Kun？’saidAll—the—Beaver—there—was。
’Payahkun，’saidtheEldestMagician；andhebreatheduponthefallentreesandthestillwater，andtheybecametheEvergladesinFlorida，andyoumaylookthemoutonthemap。
ThenhewentSouthandfoundAll—the—Turtle—there—wasscratchingwithhisflippersinthesandthathadbeengotreadyforhim，andthesandandtherockswhirledthroughtheairandfellfaroffintothesea。
’Kun？’saidAll—the—Turtle—there—was。
’Payahkun，’saidtheEldestMagician；andhebreatheduponthesandandtherocks，wheretheyhadfalleninthesea，andtheybecamethemostbeautifulislandsofBorneo，Celebes，Sumatra，Java，andtherestoftheMalayArchipelago，andyoucanlookthemoutonthemap!
ByandbytheEldestMagicianmettheManonthebanksofthePerakriver，andsaid，’Ho!SonofAdam，arealltheAnimalsobedienttoyou？’
’Yes，’saidtheMan。
’IsalltheEarthobedienttoyou？’
’Yes，’saidtheMan。
’IsalltheSeaobedienttoyou？’
’No，’saidtheMan。’OnceadayandonceanighttheSearunsupthePerakriveranddrivesthesweet—waterbackintotheforest，sothatmyhouseismadewet；onceadayandonceanightitrunsdowntheriveranddrawsallthewaterafterit，sothatthereisnothingleftbutmud，andmycanoeisupset。Isthattheplayyoutoldittoplay？’
’No，’saidtheEldestMagician。’Thatisanewandabadplay。’
’Look!’saidtheMan，andashespokethegreatSeacameupthemouthofthePerakriver，drivingtheriverbackwardstillitoverflowedallthedarkforestsformilesandmiles，andfloodedtheMan’shouse。
’Thisiswrong。LaunchyourcanoeandwewillfindoutwhoisplayingwiththeSea，’saidtheEldestMagician。Theysteppedintothecanoe；thelittlegirl—daughtercamewiththem；andtheMantookhiskris——acurving，wavydaggerwithabladelikeaflame，——andtheypushedoutonthePerakriver。Thentheseabegantorunbackandback，andthecanoewassuckedoutofthemouthofthePerakriver，pastSelangor，pastMalacca，pastSingapore，outandouttotheIslandofBingtang，asthoughithadbeenpulledbyastring。
ThentheEldestMagicianstoodupandshouted，’Ho!beasts，birds，andfishes，thatItookbetweenmyhandsattheVeryBeginningandtaughttheplaythatyoushouldplay，whichoneofyouisplayingwiththeSea？’
Thenallthebeasts，birds，andfishessaidtogether，’EldestMagician，weplaytheplaysthatyoutaughtustoplay——weandourchildren’schildren。ButnotoneofusplayswiththeSea。’
ThentheMoonrosebigandfulloverthewater，andtheEldestMagiciansaidtothehunchbackedoldmanwhositsintheMoonspinningafishing—linewithwhichhehopesonedaytocatchtheworld，’Ho!FisheroftheMoon，areyouplayingwiththeSea？’
’No，’saidtheFisherman，’IamspinningalinewithwhichI
shallsomedaycatchtheworld；butIdonotplaywiththeSea。’
Andhewentonspinninghisline。
NowthereisalsoaRatupintheMoonwhoalwaysbitestheoldFisherman’slineasfastasitismade，andtheEldestMagiciansaidtohim，’Ho!RatoftheMoon，areyouplayingwiththeSea？’
AndtheRatsaid，’IamtoobusybitingthroughthelinethatthisoldFishermanisspinning。IdonotplaywiththeSea。’Andhewentonbitingtheline。
Thenthelittlegirl—daughterputupherlittlesoftbrownarmswiththebeautifulwhiteshellbraceletsandsaid，’OEldestMagician!whenmyfatherheretalkedtoyouattheVeryBeginning，andIleaneduponhisshoulderwhilethebeastswerebeingtaughttheirplays，onebeastwentawaynaughtilyintotheSeabeforeyouhadtaughthimhisplay。