too dark to
find him. Then he put his paddy-paw into his mouth, and of course the
prickles hurt him worse than ever. As soon as he could speak he said,
'Now I know he isn't Tortoise at all. But'--and then he scratched
his head with his un-prickly paw--'how do I know that this other is
Tortoise?'

'But I am Tortoise,' said Slow-and-Solid. Your mother was quite right.
She said that you were to scoop me out of my shell with your paw.
Begin.'

'You didn't say she said that a minute ago, said Painted Jaguar, sucking
the prickles out of his paddy-paw. 'You said she said something quite
different.'

'Well, suppose you say that I said that she said something quite
different, I don't see that it makes any difference; because if she said
what you said I said she said, it's just the same as if I said what she
said she said. On the other hand, if you think she said that you were to
uncoil me with a scoop, instead of pawing me into drops with a shell, I
can't help that, can I?'

'But you said you wanted to be scooped out of your shell with my paw,'
said Painted Jaguar.

'If you'll think again you'll find that I didn't say anything of the
kind. I said that your mother said that you were to scoop me out of my
shell,' said Slow-and-Solid.

'What will happen if I do?' said the Jaguar most sniffily and most
cautious.

'I don't know, because I've never been scooped out of my shell before;
but I tell you truly, if you want to see me swim away you've only got to
drop me into the water.

'I don't believe it,' said Painted Jaguar. 'You've mixed up all the
things my mother told me to do with the things that you asked me whether
I was sure that she didn't say, till I don't know whether I'm on my
head or my painted tail; and now you come and tell me something I can
understand, and it makes me more mixy than before. My mother told me
that I was to drop one of you two into the water, and as you seem so
anxious to be dropped I think you don't want to be dropped. So jump into
the turbid Amazon and be quick about it.'

'I warn you that your Mummy won't be pleased. Don't tell her I didn't
tell you,' said Slow-Solid.

'If you say another word about what my mother said--' the Jaguar
answered, but he had not finished the sentence before Slow-and-Solid
quietly dived into the turbid Amazon, swam under water for a long way,
and came out on the bank where Stickly-Prickly was waiting for him.

'That was a very narrow escape,' said Stickly-Pric