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Updated: May 22, 2025
But at last Switchie said: "Say, aren't you thirsty?" "Yes," answered Nero, "I am." "Then let's go to the spring and get a drink," went on Switchie. "Oh no! My mother said I wasn't to go to the spring in the daytime!" exclaimed Nero. "There may be hunters there, waiting to shoot us." "Oh, I don't believe there are," said Switchie. "I'll tell you what we can do.
On the shore he saw Switchie standing looking at him. Switchie was nice and dry. "What did you do that for?" growled Nero to Switchie, as soon as our friend had shaken some of the water off his shaggy, tawny-yellow coat. "I'll fix you for that! Fun is all right, but you know I don't like jumping into the water, however much I like a drink from the spring.
There was no one at the spring except some little monkeys, getting a drink, and as soon as they saw the lion boy away they scampered, chattering, for the monkeys were afraid of the lions. "Everything is all right!" called Switchie to the hiding Nero. "There are no hunters! Come on and get a drink."
"What's the matter?" asked Switchie, as he saw that his chum was not keeping up with the rest. "Can't you run along faster?" "No, I can't," answered Nero. "And I guess you couldn't either, on only three legs." "Well, maybe I couldn't," replied Switchie. "I'm sorry you were shot, Nero. I'll stay behind and walk with you. Then you won't be lonesome."
"That's a crocodile, I told you!" said Switchie. "They are very big and strong, and if they get hold of your soft and tender nose, when you are drinking at the pool, they can pull you under water and drown you. You want to be careful about crocodiles." "Well, I will," said Nero. "Only I didn't know about them before. Was it the crocodile who knocked me into the water?"
"Yes, I should say it would!" exclaimed Switchie. "But you had better leave the buffaloes to your father and the other big men lions. They always take them. It takes a big lion to catch a buffalo, and even then sometimes the buffaloes kill a lion." "How?" asked Nero. "With their sharp horns," answered Switchie. "Buffaloes have terribly sharp horns. Better look out for them.
"Fine!" said Nero. "We'll go there." So Switchie led the way along another jungle path to a place where very few trees grew. In the midst of these few trees was a grassy place. That is, it had been green and grassy once when it was raining, which it does for several months at a time in the jungle.
And as Nero saw what he had thought was a log of wood open a big mouth with many sharp teeth in it, the little lion boy ran after Switchie, who scampered off along the jungle path as fast as he could go. "What's the matter? What was that thing which looked like a log floating in the water?" asked Nero, when he and Switchie stopped to rest in the shadow of a big tree.
"Thank you," answered Nero, using lion talk, of course. So Switchie stayed behind with Nero, going slowly, as the wounded lion had to go. But soon the others the big and little lions who were not hurt began to get far ahead. "Come on, Nero! Come on!" they roared. "And you too, Switchie! Come along here! Hurry up!" "I'll just run on ahead and see what they want," said Switchie to Nero.
Few animals stay to drink at the spring when the lion roars, to say he is coming. But this was in daylight and Switchie and Nero were only lion cubs, so, I suppose, the crocodile was not afraid of them. And, being big and strong, he just knocked Nero into the water, and claimed that as his side of the pool, though he had no right to.
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