The colored patriot., 1882-05-25

"Thank YOU very kindly" SAID the
Secretary Bird. ''If you will do that, |
# will save time, and I shall soon catch |
enough fish for dinner" )"
II shall only be too glad to oblige |
vou," said the Serpent.
Thereupon the Bird waded into the
river, and as soon as he caught hsn
he threw it ashore, where the Snake
took care that it did not get into the
water again. When the Bird thought
he had caught enough fish. he came
On shore and saw the Snake slowly
moving away.
"WRat is your hurry?" he cried.
"Stop and take dinner with me:
have caught twelve fish, and as l had
eaten some before you came, six will be
all | shall want. You can have the
other six, and we can take pleasant
meal together"
Il am very much obliged to you"
said the Snake, still moving away; but
| do not believe that anything could in
duce me to eat fish at present. l have
no appetite at all for such food. Anc
he piided into the bushes, and was lost
to sight.
He need not be so dainty" said the
Secretary Bird to himself; ''fOr fish Is
very good food, indeed; but, since ne
will not accept my invitation, L sha!
have all the more dinner for myselt
But where are the fish,"
The Secretary Bird looked anxiously
about, on the shore and in the grass, bu'
he could find no sign of the fish he hac
caught. At length he came to n little
pile of twelve fish-tails lying behind {
bush. The Snake did not like tish-talls
and had bitten these off before eating
the fish. Instantly the truth tiashec
through the mind of the Secretary Bird
That wretched Serpent!' he eX
tclaimed. "He has, indeed, taken gooc
care that my fish shall not escape into
the water. He has eaten them, one by
one. as fast as | threw them on shore,
never heard of such an Infamous trick:
But | will be revenged on him. L VII
find him. no matter where he has hid
den himself" So saying, the angry
Bird rushed away in pursuit OF the
crafty acquaintance who had taken care
of his fish.
Soon he saw movement among the
tail reeds.
There he isr' he shouted, and ne
dashed toward the place.
In moment he had pOunced among
the reeds, and attacked the Snake with
great fury. !,
"You Infamous creature" he cried
Il will teach you how to deceive birC
of nv standing" And in spite of the
Snakes efforts to get away, he stamped
upon him and pecked him until he haC
killed him.
"You have cheated me of my dinner,
said the angry Bird, land it woult
serve you right if were to make din
ner of you"
So saying-his appetite whetted b,
the mornings work-he began to ca
the Snake, and did not stop until he hat
entirely devoured him.
Upon the WHOLE said the secre
tary Bird, when he had finished, "lpre
fer snakes to fish, and think that TO
: the future shall make my meals upo
: these decetful creatures, who 60 abou
playing tricks upon honest folk"
After that, this Bird gave up eatin
fish, and ted entirely upon snakes. II
did not trouble himself to catch the lii
tie ones, because it took too many {
them to satisfy his hunger; but he pre-
,, ferred the large ones, as one OF thel
= was enough for meal. His wife an
: ! children soon learned that snakes wer
easy to catch and good to eat, and the
9 also gave up eating fish.
The Secretary Bird was a very infl'
= entail member of his tribe, and the ne
diet soon became quite fashionable; an
: the descendants of the Secretary Bir'
n of that day have since lived entirely u
r on large snakes.
n 1t may be noticed, also, that the Sc
> pents of that part of the country, 7
s membering, perhaps, this old story, ha'
great distaste for fish.-St Nicholas.