the wild boars jumped onto
the back of the first crocodile. My father didn't have a moment to
spare.

[Illustration]

By now the dragon realized that my father was coming to rescue him. He
ran out of the bushes and jumped up and down yelling. "Here I am! I'm
right here! Can you see me? Hurry, the boar is coming over on the
crocodiles, too. They're all coming over! Oh, please hurry, hurry!"
The noise was simply terrific.

My father ran up to the dragon, and took out his very sharp jackknife.
"Steady, old boy, steady. We'll make it. Just stand still," he told
the dragon as he began to saw through the big rope.

By this time both boars, all seven tigers, the two lions, the
rhinoceros, and the gorilla, along with the countless screeching
monkeys, were all on their way across the crocodiles and there was
still a lot of rope to cut through.

"Oh, hurry," the dragon kept saying, and my father again told him to
stand still.

"If I don't think I can make it," said my father, "we'll fly over to
the other side of the river and I can finish cutting the rope there."

[Illustration]

Suddenly the screaming grew louder and madder and my father thought
the animals must have crossed the river. He looked around, and saw
something which surprised and delighted him. Partly because he had
finished his lollipop, and partly because, as I told you before,
crocodiles are very moody and not the least bit dependable and are
always looking for something to eat, the first crocodile had turned
away from the bank and started swimming down the river. The second
crocodile hadn't finished yet, so he followed right after the first,
still sucking his lollipop. All the rest did the same thing, one right
after the other, until they were all swimming away in a line. The two
wild boars, the seven tigers, the rhinoceros, the two lions, the
gorilla, along with the countless screeching monkeys, were all riding
down the middle of the river on the train of crocodiles sucking pink
lollipops, and all yelling and screaming and getting their feet wet.

[Illustration]

My father and the dragon laughed themselves weak because it was such a
silly sight. As soon as they had recovered, my father finished cutting
the rope and the dragon raced around in circles and tried to turn a
somersault. He was the most excited baby dragon that ever lived. My
father was in a hurry to fly away, and when the dragon finally calmed
down a bit my father climbed up onto his bac