The Story of Little Black Mingo Read online

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  THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK MINGO

  By The Author Of'The Story Of Little Black Sambo'

  The Story of Little Black Mingo.

  Once upon a time there was a little black girl, and her name was LittleBlack Mingo.

  She had no father and mother, so she had to live with a horrid cross oldwoman called Black Noggy, who used to scold her every day, andsometimes beat her with a stick, even though she had done nothingnaughty.

  One day Black Noggy called her, and said, "Take this chatty down to theriver and fill it with water, and come back as fast as you can, _quicknow_!"

  So Little Black Mingo took the chatty and ran down to the river as fastas she could, and began to fill it with water, when Cr-r-rrrack!!!Bang!!! a horrible big Mugger poked its nose up through the bottom ofthe chatty and said "Ha ha! Little Mingo, I'm going to eat you up!"

  Little Black Mingo did not say anything. She turned and ran away as fastas ever she could, and the Mugger ran after her. But the broken chattyround his neck caught his paws, so he could not overtake her.

  But when she got back to Black Noggy, and told her how the Mugger hadbroken the chatty, Black Noggy was fearfully angry. "You naughty girl,"she said, "you have broken the chatty yourself, I have a good mind tobeat you." And if she had not been in such a hurry for the water she_would_ have beaten her.

  Then she went and fetched the great big chatty that the dhobi used toboil the clothes in. "Take this," said she, "and mind you don't breakit, or I _will_ beat you." "But I can't carry that when it is fullof water," said Little Black Mingo.

  "You must go twice, and bring it half full each time," said Black Noggy.

  So Little Black Mingo took the dhobi's great big chatty, and startedagain to go to the river. But first she went to a little bank above theriver, and peeped up and down, to see if she could see the old Muggeranywhere. But she could not see him, for he was hiding under the verybank she was standing on, and though his tail stuck out a little shenever saw him at all.

  She would have liked to run home, but she was too much afraid thatBlack Noggy would beat her.

  So Little Black Mingo crept down to the river, and began to fill the bigchatty with water. And while she was filling it the Mugger came creepingsoftly down behind her and caught her by the tail, saying, "Aha, LittleBlack Mingo, now I've got you."

  And Little Black Mingo said, "Oh! please don't eat me up, great bigMugger."

  "What will you give me, if I don't eat you up?" said the Mugger. ButLittle Black Mingo was so poor she had nothing to give. So the Muggercaught her in his great cruel mouth and swam away with her to an islandin the middle of the river and set her down beside a huge pile of eggs.

  "Those are my eggs," said he; "to-morrow a little mugger will come outof each, and then we will have a great feast, and we will eat you up."

  Then he waddled off to catch fish for himself, and left Little BlackMingo alone beside the big pile of eggs.

  And Little Black Mingo sat down on a big stone and hid her face in herhands, and cried bitterly, because she couldn't swim, and she didn'tknow how to get away.

  Presently she heard a queer little squeaky noise that sounded like"Squeak, Squeak, Squeak!!! Oh Little Black Mingo, help me or I shall bedrowned." She got up and looked to see what was calling, and she saw abush coming floating down the river with something wriggling andscrambling about in it, and as it came near she saw that it was aMongoose that was in the bush. So she waded out as far as she could, andcaught hold of the bush and pulled it in, and the poor Mongoose crawledup her arm on to her shoulder, and she carried him to shore.

  When they got to shore the Mongoose shook himself, and Little BlackMingo wrung out her petticoat, and so they both very soon got dry.

  The Mongoose then began to poke about for something to eat, and verysoon he found the great big pile of Mugger's eggs. "Oh, joy!" saidhe, "what's this?"

  "Those are Mugger's eggs," said Little Black Mingo.

  "I'm not afraid of Muggers!" said the Mongoose; and he sat down andbegan to crack the eggs, and eat the little muggers as they came out.And he threw the shells into the water, so that the old Mugger shouldnot see that any one had been eating them. But he was careless, and heleft one eggshell on the edge, and he was hungry and he ate so many thatthe pile got much smaller, and when the old Mugger came back he saw atonce that some one had been meddling with them.

  So he ran to Little Black Mingo, and said, "How dare you eat my eggs?"

  "Indeed, indeed I didn't," said Little Black Mingo.

  "Then who could it have been?" said the Mugger, and he ran back tothe eggs as fast as he could, and sure enough when he got back he foundthe Mongoose had eaten a whole lot more!!

  Then he said to himself, "I must stay beside my eggs till they arehatched into little muggers, or the Mongoose will eat them all." So hecurled himself into a ring round the eggs and went to sleep.

  But while he was asleep the Mongoose came to eat some more of the eggs,and ate as many as he wanted, and when the Mugger woke this time, oh!_what_ a rage he was in, for there were only six eggs left! He roaredso loud that all the little muggers inside the shells gnashed theirteeth, and tried to roar too.

  Then he said, "I know what I'll do, I'll fetch Little Black Mingo's bigchatty and cover my eggs with that, then the Mongoose won't be able toget at them." So he swam across to the shore, and fetched the dhobi'sbig chatty, and covered the eggs with it. "Now, you wicked littleMongoose, come and eat my eggs if you can," said he, and he went offquite proud and happy.

  By and by the Mongoose came back, and he was terribly disappointedwhen he found the eggs all covered with the big chatty.

  So he ran off to Little Black Mingo, and asked her to help him, andLittle Black Mingo came and took the big chatty off the eggs, and theMongoose ate them every one.

  "Now," said he, "there will be no little muggers to make a feast forto-morrow."

  "No," said Little Black Mingo, "but the Mugger will eat me all byhimself I am afraid."

  "No he won't," said the Mongoose, "for we will sail away together in thebig chatty before he comes back."

  So he climbed on to the edge of the chatty, and LittleBlack Mingo pushed the chatty out into the water, and then she clamberedinto it and paddled with her two hands as hard as she could, and the bigchatty just sailed beautifully.

  So they got across safely, and Little Black Mingo filled the chattyhalf full of water and took it on her head, and they went up the banktogether.

  But when the Mugger came back, and found only empty egg-shells he wasfearfully angry. He roared and he raged, and he howled and he yelled,till the whole island shook, and his tears ran down his cheeks andpattered on the sand like rain.

  So he started to chase Little Black Mingo and the Mongoose, and he swamacross the river as fast as ever he could, and when he was half wayacross he saw them landing, and as he landed they hurried over thefirst ridge.

  So he raced after them, but they ran, and just before he caught themthey got into the house, and banged the door in his face. Then they shutall the windows, so he could not get in anywhere.

  "All right," said he, "you will have to come out some time, and then Iwill catch you both, and eat you up."

  So he hid behind the back of the house and waited.

  Now Black Noggy was just coming home from the bazaar with a tin ofkerosene on her head, and a box of matches in her hand. And when hesaw her the Mugger rushed out and gobbled her up, kerosene tin, matchesand all!!!

  When Black Noggy found herself in the Mugger's dark inside, she wantedto see where she was, so she felt for the match-box and took out a matchand lit it. But the Mugger
's teeth had made holes in the kerosene tin,so that the flame of the match caught the kerosene, and

  BANG!!

  the kerosene exploded, and blew the old Mugger and Black Noggy intolittle bits.

  At the fearful noise Little Black Mingo and the Mongoose came runningout, and there they found Black Noggy and the old Mugger all blown tobits.

  So Little Black Mingo and the Mongoose got the nice little house fortheir very own, and there they lived happy ever after. And Little BlackMingo got the Mugger's head for her seat, and the Mongoose got BlackNoggy's handkerchief for his. But he was so wee he used to put it onthe Mugger's nose, and there they sat, and had their tea every evening.