large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_03_selous_64kb_89
large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_03_selous_64kb
English
12918
The slugs and the caterpillars, and, above all, the great, hungry cockchafer grubs, had eaten almost everything up; for, you see, there were no hungry rooks to eat _them_. The little corn we used to take from the farmers they could very well have spared, but now, without us, they found that they had lost much more than they could spare. THE SLUGS IN THE CATERPILLARS AND ABOVE ALL THE GREAT HUNGRY COCKCHAFER GRUBS HAD EATEN ALMOST EVERYTHING UP FOR YOU SEE THERE WERE NO HUNGRY ROOKS TO EAT THEM THE LITTLE CORN WE USED TO TAKE FROM THE FARMERS THEY COULD VERY WELL HAVE SPARED BUT NOW WITHOUT US THEY FOUND THAT THEY HAD LOST MUCH MORE THAN THEY COULD SPARE
think what a lot of good we must do, and remember that the boy who kills a rook is doing harm to somebody’s corn, or wheat, or potatoes.” “I do not want to do that,” said Tommy Smith. “Of course not,” said the rook; “so you must not throw stones at us any more.” “I won’t, then,” said Tommy Smith. “But why do the farmers shoot you, if you do them so much good?” “You may well ask,” the rook answered. “They ought to be ashamed of themselves. I will tell you something about that. Once upon a time some farmers thought they would kill us all because we stole their corn; so they all went out together with their guns, and whenever they saw any of us, they fired at us and killed us, until, at last, there was not a rook left in the whole country; for all those that had not been shot had flown away. The farmers were so glad, for they thought that next year they would have a much better harvest. But they were quite wrong, for, instead of having a better harvest, they had hardly any harvest at all. T HAS MADE SO AS TO PICK UP ALL WE CAN GET SO THINK WHAT A LOT OF GOOD WE MUST DO AND REMEMBER THAT THE BOY WHO KILLS A ROOK IS DOING HARM TO SOMEBODY'S CORN OR WHEAT OR POTATOES I DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT SAID TOMMY SMITH OF COURSE NOT SAID THE ROOK SO YOU MUST NOT THROW STONES AT US ANY MORE I WON'T THEN SAID TOMMY SMITH BUT WHY DO THE FARMERS SHOOT YOU IF YOU DO THEM SO MUCH GOOD YOU MAY WELL ASK THE ROOK ANSWERED THEY OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES I WILL TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THAT ONCE UPON A TIME SOME FARMERS THOUGHT THEY WOULD KILL US ALL BECAUSE WE STOLE THEIR CORN SO THEY ALL WENT OUT TOGETHER WITH THEIR GUNS AND WHENEVER THEY SAW ANY OF US THEY FIRED AT US AND KILLED US UNTIL AT LAST THERE WAS NOT A ROOK LEFT IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY FOR ALL THOSE THAT HAD NOT BEEN SHOT HAD FLOWN AWAY THE FARMERS WERE SO GLAD FOR THEY THOUGHT THAT NEXT YEAR THEY WOULD HAVE A MUCH BETTER HARVEST BUT THEY WERE QUITE WRONG FOR INSTEAD OF HAVING A BETTER HARVEST THEY HAD HARDLY ANY HARVEST AT ALL
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