The Crocodile is one of the hungriest bodies that ever lived.  When he is looking for a dinner he will eat almost anything that comes within reach.  Sometimes the greedy fellow swallows great stones and chunks of wood, in his hurry mistaking them for something more digestible.  And when he is smacking his great jaws over his food he makes such a greedy, terrible noise that the other animals steal away nervously and hide until it shall be Master Crocodile’s sleepy-time.  He is too lazy to waddle in search of a dinner far from the river where he lives.  But any animal or even a man-swimmer had best be careful how he ventures into the water near the Crocodile’s haunts.  For what seems to be a greenish-brown, knobby log of wood floating on the water, has little bright eyes which are on the lookout for anything which moves.  And below the water two great jaws are ready to open and swallow in the prey of Mr. Hungry-Mouth.

But no matter how hungry the Crocodile may be, he will not touch the Hen, even if she should venture into his very jaws; at least, that is what the Black Men of the Congo River will tell you.  And surely, as they are the nearest neighbors of the big reptile they ought to know if any one does.  Now this is the story which they tell to explain why the Crocodile will not eat the Hen.

Once upon a time there was a Hen, a common, plump, clucky mother Hen, who used every day to go down to the river and pick up bits of food on the moist banks, where luscious insects were many.  She did not know that this Congo River was the home of the Crocodile, the biggest, fiercest, scaliest, hungriest Crocodile in all Africa.  But one day when she went down to the water as usual she hopped out onto what looked like a mossy log, saying to herself:—­

“Aha!  This is a fine old timber-house.  It is full of juicy bugs, I know.  I shall have a great feast!”

Tap-tap!  Pick-pick!  The Hen began to scratch and peck upon the rough bark of the log, but Oh dear me! suddenly she began to feel very seasick.  The log was rolling over!  The log was teetering up on end like a boat in a storm!  And before she knew what was really happening the poor Hen found herself floundering in the water in the very jaws of the terrible Crocodile.

“Ha, ha!” cried the Crocodile in his harsh voice.  “You took me for a log, just as the other silly creatures do.  But I am no log, Mrs. Hen, as you shall soon see.  I am Hungry Crocodile, and you will make the fifth dinner which I have had this evening.”

The Hen was frightened almost to death, but she kept her presence of mind and gasped frantically as she saw the great jaws opening to swallow her:—­

“O Brother, don’t!”

Now the Crocodile was so surprised at hearing the Hen call him Brother that he kept his jaws wide open and forgot to swallow his dinner.  He kept them open for some time, gaping foolishly, wondering what the Hen could mean, and how he could possibly be her brother.  And by the time he had remembered how hungry he was, there was nothing for him to eat.  For the Hen had skipped away just as fast as her feet would take her.