SAMBO AND THE LION’S TAIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1930, Page 24 (Supplement)

SAMBO AND THE LION’S TAIL.

One very warm day in very warm Africa, Sambo came out of- his little mud cottage to go for a walk. And when Sambo went for a walk anything might happen. For the place where Sambo lived is a place of adventures — and not always very nice ones. Creepy, crawly adventures, for instance, like snakes; or growly, snarly ones, like lions.

To-day, Sammy boy was feeling quite happy, and thought he would just pick some of the waxy flowers that grew in a spot that he knew. So he strolled along—till he heard a strange noise. He wasn’t sure at first what the noise was. It might have been thunder of loud tom-tome. . It was the most tremendously noisy noiee he had ever heard in his life.

He put' one hand behind his ear and listened.

There it was again And then Sambo saw it —a great big yellow lion. Mr. Lion was staring hard at Sambo; and he seemed to have taken a fancy to him. Sambo remembered being told that a. lion’s favourite dish was a little black boy; and when Sambo saw this lion eit down in the middle of the flowers he had meant to pick and laugh, Sambo guessed he was thinking about that dinner he was going to have presently. But suddenly an idea had come to Sambo. He would hide behind a prickly thorn tree, the tree whose leaves are like little knives. What' a good protection that would be if Mr. Lion should charge! So down he crouched and peeped at him through the branches. But that didn’t worry Mr. Lion. “Ha, ha!” he said to himself. “I have only got to take a flying leap over the thorn bush and where will little Nigger boy be then?” And a. flying leap he did take; but Sambo gave another, and was off in the opposite direction. “Help! Help!” cried Sambo, running for his life. He thought he could hear the foot; steps of Mr. Lion coming after him, and he ran and ran fill he was so exhausted than he sank down on the ground behind another bush and peered out. There he saw an extraordinary sight.

Not very far away Mr. Lion was sitting, making the most extraordinary noise. It was rather like rain pattering down on palm leaves. Sambo peered a little closer. Why, he was crying! Big tears were pouring down his furry fa ’.e and making a little pool by his side. Now Sambo had a kind heart beating inside his little shining black body, and when he flaw poor old Mr. Lion in floods of tears he crept slowly out of his hiding-place. At once he saw what had happened. In jumping , over the thorn bueh Mr. Lion’s tail, had been chopped, off by the little knife-like leaves.

“800-hoo!” sobbed Mr. Lion. “It’s the only tail I’ve ever had, and I’ll hever -get another. It has been a good tail to me.”

At that Sambo’s sympathy began to bubble over. He quite forgot to be afraid, and only remembered that this was a poor, creature in trouble. “Never mind,” he said, coming boldly forward. “I will see what I can do for you, poor thing. Where is the tail, do you think?” “800-hoo!” said the lion quite forgetting that Sambo was a tender supper dish and only remembering he was a friend in need. “1 think it must still be hanging on the tree.” So off went Sambo; and, sure enough, there was the tail hanging high on a thorn. Very carefully Sambo climbed among the prickly branches and took it down. “I know where there s a tree from which the gum oozes/ said Sambo funning off. "You wait here.” And in a few. minutes back he came with Borne gum in one hand and the, tail in the other.

And then at once he set to work. And when that old tail was fixed on once more Mr. Lion’s joy and thankfulness knew no bounds; ■ >

“I’ll .never have Nigger boy for supper again as .long as I live,” he declared in h:s deep voice; and, putting his paw through Sambo’s .-arm; . they went dancing off together, as merry as sand-boys. . ’ ■

ABOUT SCENERY.

“How was the scenery on your trip? “Well, the toothpaste ads.-were rather better done than the tobacco, but there was more furniture than anything else. .