The camel and the mousedeer

The camel and the mousedeer story

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

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

They came to 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 mousedeer, 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 mousedeer entered by the gate, and, after having eaten his fill of the vegetables within, came out, laughing at the poor camel who had 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 mousedeer his snout, observing, “Tall is good, where tall would do; of short, again, this is also true!”

Taken from: www.rickwalton.com