بچه‌های خیلی زیاد

CHAPTER TWELVE

Too Many Babies

When the rain stops, we are wet but clean. Bill is very happy. He starts singing:

‘Where are you, giraffes? I have got green gloves on my strong big hands to catch you, my friends!’

‘You’ve got too many friends,’ I say. ‘Look there.’

Bill looks and sees eight or ten giraffes. Some of them are babies. Some big giraffes are sleeping. Their heads are next to their tales. My dog sleeps like that.

‘Look’ cries Bill. ‘All the big giraffes are sleeping. We can catch the baby.’

‘Not all,’ I say. ‘The big giraffe on the left isn’t sleeping. It is on guard.’

‘It can’t be,’ Bill says. ‘Giraffes are silly animals.’

‘OK,’ I say. ‘Then try to catch Spotty.’

‘Who is Spotty’ asks Bill.

‘Our baby giraffe,’ I answer. ‘Only which is Spotty?’

‘The one next to the bushes,’ says Bill. ‘No, the one behind that tall tree.’

There are five baby giraffes. Bill looks and looks.

‘Let’s catch the one between the trees and the bushes,’ I say.

Bill takes the rope and goes to the baby. The baby can see us. It turns and runs to the guard giraffe.

‘That’s bad,’ says Bill. ‘We must catch another one.’ He goes to the bushes, but another baby looks at Bill and runs to the guard giraffe too.

‘They are clever, these silly giraffes,’ says Bill. He is angry.

‘Let’s tie the big giraffe to a tree,’ I say. ‘Then we can catch a small one.’

‘No’ cries Bill. ‘Not again!’ He looks at me. I don’t like his eyes.

At that moment he sees a third baby. It is opposite a bush with big pink flowers. The baby can’t see Bill. It smells the flowers.

‘Aha’ cries Bill and runs to the baby. I don’t know what to do. Again I put my hands around my mouth and roar.