The Story of Little Black Sambo / The Story of Little Black Mingo | Page 6

and pulled it in, and the poor Mongoose
crawled up her arm on to her shoulder, and she carried him to shore.
When they got to shore the Mongoose shook himself, and Little Black
Mingo wrung out her petticoat, and so they both very soon got dry.
The Mongoose then began to poke about for something to eat, and very
soon he found the great big pile of Mugger's eggs. "Oh, joy!" said he,
"what's this?"
"Those are Mugger's eggs," said Little Black Mingo.
"I'm not afraid of Muggers!" said the Mongoose; and he sat down and
began to crack the eggs, and eat the little muggers as they came out.
And he threw the shells into the water, so that the old Mugger should

not see that any one had been eating them. But he was careless, and he
left one eggshell on the edge, and he was hungry and he ate so many
that the pile got much smaller, and when the old Mugger came back he
saw at once that some one had been meddling with them.
So he ran to Little Black Mingo, and said, "How dare you eat my
eggs?"
"Indeed, indeed I didn't," said Little Black Mingo.
"Then who could it have been?" said the Mugger, and he ran back to
the eggs as fast as he could, and sure enough when he got back he
found the Mongoose had eaten a whole lot more!!
Then he said to himself, "I must stay beside my eggs till they are
hatched into little muggers, or the Mongoose will eat them all." So he
curled himself into a ring round the eggs and went to sleep.
But while he was asleep the Mongoose came to eat some more of the
eggs, and ate as many as he wanted, and when the Mugger woke this
time, oh! WHAT a rage he was in, for there were only six eggs left! He
roared so loud that all the little muggers inside the shells gnashed their
teeth, and tried to roar too.
Then he said, "I know what I'll do, I'll fetch Little Black Mingo's big
chatty and cover my eggs with that, then the Mongoose won't be able to
get at them." So he swam across to the shore, and fetched the dhobi's
big chatty, and covered the eggs with it. "Now, you wicked little
Mongoose, come and eat my eggs if you can," said he, and he went off
quite proud and happy.
By and by the Mongoose came back, and he was terribly disappointed
when he found the eggs all covered with the big chatty.
So he ran off to Little Black Mingo, and asked her to help him, and
Little Black Mingo came and took the big chatty off the eggs, and the
Mongoose ate them every one.
"Now," said he, "there will be no little muggers to make a feast for
tomorrow."
"No," said Little Black Mingo, "but the Mugger will eat me all by
himself I am afraid."
"No he won't," said the Mongoose, "for we will sail away together in
the big chatty before he comes back."
So he climbed on to the edge of the chatty, and Little Black Mingo
pushed the chatty out into the water, and then she clambered into it and

paddled with her two hands as hard as she could, and the big chatty just
sailed beautifully.
So they got across safely, and Little Black Mingo filled the chatty half
full of water and took it on her head, and they went up the bank
together.
But when the Mugger came back, and found only empty egg- shells he
was fearfully angry. He roared and he raged, and he howled and he
yelled, till the whole island shook, and his tears ran down his cheeks
and pattered on the sand like rain.
So he started to chase Little Black Mingo and the Mongoose, and he
swam across the river as fast as ever he could, and when he was half
way across he saw them landing, and as he landed they hurried over the
first ridge.
So he raced after them, but they ran, and just before he caught them
they got into the house, and banged the door in his face. Then they shut
all the windows, so he could not get in anywhere.
"All right," said he, "you will have to come out some time, and then I
will catch you both, and eat you up."
So he hid behind the back of the house and waited.
Now Black Noggy was just coming home from the bazaar with a tin of
kerosene on her head, and a box of matches in her hand.
And when he saw her the Mugger rushed out and gobbled her up,
kerosene