Finally one of the
Dragons which was farthest away from him asked, in a
deep, grave voice:
"What was that?"
And the greatest Dragon of all, who was just in front
of the Green Monkey, answered in a still deeper voice:
"It is some foolish animal from Outside."
"Is it good to eat?" inquired a smaller Dragon beside
the great one. "I'm hungry."
"Hungry!" exclaimed all the Dragons, in a reproachful
chorus; and then the great one said chidingly: "Tut-
tut, my son! You've no reason to be hungry at this
time."
"Why not?" asked the little Dragon. "I haven't eaten
anything in eleven years."
"Eleven years is nothing," remarked another Dragon,
sleepily opening and closing his eyes; "I haven't
feasted for eighty-seven years, and I dare not get
hungry for a dozen or so years to come. Children who
eat between meals should be broken of the habit."
"All I had, eleven years ago, was a rhinoceros, and
that's not a full meal at all," grumbled the young one.
"And, before that, I had waited sixty-two years to be
fed; so it's no wonder I'm hungry."
"How old are you now?" asked Woot, forgetting his own
dangerous position in his interest in the conversation.
"Why, I'm -- I'm -- How old am I, Father?" asked the
little Dragon.
"Goodness gracious! what a child to ask questions. Do
you want to keep me thinking all the time? Don't you
know that thinking is very bad for Dragons?" returned
the big one, impatiently.
Pages:
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86