32 A PELANDOK TALE. 



thither but could get nothing to eat or drink. At last he got to 

 a river where he had a drink. He noticed on the other bank 

 fruit which he could eat. Then he looked carefully for 

 a minute and thought, " How am I to get across ? I 

 don't think I am able, for I am very weak." 



Then he had an inspiration, " I had better call sisters 

 Sang Garagi, and say that they have all been ordered by King 

 Solomon to come to the top of the water and that I have 

 been ordered to take a census of all that are in the river." 



After that all the crocodiles that were in that river came 

 to the top of the water. The pelandok said, " Elder sisters 

 Sang Garagi, arrange yourselves properly please, head to head 

 so that I can count you easily." 



The crocodiles then arranged themselves from one side 

 of the river right across to the other bank. After that the 

 pelandok jumped on to the heads of the crocodiles counting, 

 " One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," and 

 so on till he got across. When he reached it he jumped up 

 on to the dry ground and said, " Hei, that was my cunning. 

 I wanted to get across and could not, so I told you of King 

 Solomon's order." 



Then he had his meal. The crocodile said, " You had 

 better not come here to drink, we will catch you and then only 

 will be satisfied." 



Some days after, what with his walking and his looking 

 for his food, the pelandok became very thirsty and went to 

 the river bank to drink. A crocodile came and caught him 

 by the foot. The pelandok said, " Do you think that you 

 have caught my foot ? Is it not a twig that you have 

 caught? " 



The crocodile thought, " Perhaps that is so, for I do not 

 feel any flesh and it tastes just like a piece of wood." 



So the crocodile let go and the pelandok sprang up the 

 bank and said, " Hei, that was only my cunning. You really 

 had my foot, but I said that it was a branch." 



Jour. Straits Branch, 



