And while she was filling it the Mugger came creeping
softly down behind her and caught her by the tail, saying, "Aha, Little
Black Mingo, now I've got you."
And Little Black Mingo said, "Oh! please don't eat me up, great big
Mugger."
[Illustration]
"What will you give me, if I don't eat you up?" said the Mugger. But
Little Black Mingo was so poor she had nothing to give. So the Mugger
caught her in his great cruel mouth and swam away with her to an island
in the middle of the river and set her down beside a huge pile of eggs.
[Illustration]
"Those are my eggs," said he; "to-morrow a little mugger will come out
of each, and then we will have a great feast, and we will eat you up."
Then he waddled off to catch fish for himself, and left Little Black
Mingo alone beside the big pile of eggs.
And Little Black Mingo sat down on a big stone and hid her face in her
hands, and cried bitterly, because she couldn't swim, and she didn't
know how to get away.
[Illustration]
Presently she heard a queer little squeaky noise that sounded like
"Squeak, Squeak, Squeak!!! Oh Little Black Mingo, help me or I shall be
drowned." She got up and looked to see what was calling, and she saw a
bush coming floating down the river with something wriggling and
scrambling about in it, and as it came near she saw that it was a
Mongoose that was in the bush.
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