The Camel and the Mouse Deer

The Camel and the Mouse Deer

Long time ago, there were a camel and a mouse deer. The camel said,” Nothing like being tall! Look how tall I am!” The mouse deer, who heard these words, said,” Nothing like being short! Look how short I am!”

          The camel said,” Well, if I fail to prove the truth of what I said, I shall give up my hump.” The mouse deer said,” If fail to prove the truth of what I have said, I shall give up my snout.”  “Agreed!” said the camel. “Just so!” said the mouse deer.

          They came to a garden, enclosed by a low wall without any opening. The camel stood on this side of the wall, and reaching the plants within by means of his long neck, made a breakfast on them. Then, he turned jeeringly to the mouse deer, who had been standing at the bottom of the wall, without even having a look at the good things in the garden, and said,” Now, would you be tall or short?”

          Next they came to a garden, enclosed by a high wall, with a wicket gate at one end. The mouse deer entered by the gate, and, after having eaten his fill of the vegetables within, came out, laughing at the poor camel who had to stay outside because he was too tall to enter the garden by the gate, and said,” Now, would you be tall or short?”

Then, they thought the matter over and came to the conclusion that the camel should keep his hump and the deer his snout, observing,” Tall is good, where tall would do; of short, again, this is also true!”