Читать книгу Chunky, the Happy Hippo: His Many Adventures онлайн

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“Yes, it’s jolly fun!” yelled Big Foot.

So the animal children swam, splashed and dived in the water, having much more fun than when the one was angry at the other and had pushed him into the river.

All of a sudden, Mrs. Hippo, who had stayed on the bank after making Big Foot behave, gave a grunting cry.

“Quick!” she called in her own language. “Swim ashore, all you little hippos! Swim ashore, quick!”

“What’s the matter?” asked Big Foot. He thought he was too large to mind without first asking questions.

“Don’t stop to talk! Swim ashore as fast as you can!” cried Mrs. Hippo.

Chunky, Bumpy and Mumpy, her own three children-hippos, did as they were told, and paddled for shore as fast as they could. For, though a hippopotamus is a very big animal and looks very clumsy, there are few as large as he who can swim so well or so fast, or dive so easily.

On and on toward shore swam the hippo children, who, a few seconds before, had been playing tag. Last of all came Big Foot. As yet neither he nor any of the others knew why Mrs. Hippo wanted them to come ashore.