Mouse Deer and Mr. Crocodile One day, a mouse deer was walking by the river. He was very starving because he hadn’t eaten since morning. It was midday. But he found nothing in the land but dying trees. “Huh… I hate this branches, I don’t like it!”Across the river, there was green grassland, with young leaves. ‘Hmm.. it seems delicious’ imagined the mouse deer, ‘but how can I get there? I can’t swim, the current is very rapid?’The mouse deer was figuring out the way how to reach there. Suddenly, he jumped to the air,’aha.: he then walked to the edge of the river. He didn’t see the reflection because the water flowed very fast. He dipped one of his forelegs into the water. A few moments later, appeared Mr. Crocodile showing his sharp teeth. He then laughed, “Ha… ha… ha, you can’t run away from me, You’ll be my tasty lunch!” said the crocodile.”Of course, I can’t. You are very strong, Mr. Croco,” replied the mouse deer frightenedly. Then, the other crocodiles approached moving slowly. They approached the edge of the river.”But, before you all have a party, I wonder how many your members are there in the river. If I know your number exactly, I can distribute my meat evenly,” said the mouse deer.”Oh…o, great, good idea! But we are a large group, I can’t count it precisely,” Mr. Croco moaned. “Leave it to me, and I can make it for you!.” Now, can you ask the others to line up, from one edge to the other edge of the river? The mouse deer requested. Then the crocodiles arranged themselves in line from one edge to the other edge of the river. The mouse deer jumped to the body of one crocodile to the others while he was counting, ‘one, two, three; and so forth up to ten. Then, at last, he arrived at grassland, and he thanked the dumb crocodiles. Why did mouse deer want to go across the river?
