Just So Stories for Little Children / Просто сказки. Книга для чтения на английском языке

The Camel is eating a twig of acacia[31 - twig of acacia – веточка акации], and he has just finished saying �Humph!’ once too often (the Djinn told him he would), and so the Humph is coming. The long towelly thing growing out of the thing like an onion is the Magic, and you can see the Humph on its shoulder. The Humph fits on the flat part of the Camel’s back. The Camel is too busy looking at his own beautiful self in the pool of water to know what is going to happen to him.

Underneath the truly picture is a picture of the World-so-new-and-all. There are two smoky volcanoes in it, some other mountains and some stones and a lake and a black island and a twisty river and a lot of other things, as well as a Noah’s Ark. I couldn’t draw all the deserts that the Djinn was in charge of, so I only drew one, but it is a most deserty desert.

�Whew!’ said the Djinn, whistling, �that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?’

�He says “Humph!”’said the Dog; �and he won’t fetch and carry.

�Does he say anything else?’

�Only “Humph!”; and he won’t plough,’ said the Ox.

�Very good,’ said the Djinn. �I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.’

The Djinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak, and took a bearing across the desert, and found the Camel most ’scruciatingly idler, looking at his own reflection in a pool of water.

�My long and bubbling friend,’ said the Djinn, �what’s this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new-and-all?’

�Humph!’ said the Camel.

The Djinn sat down, with his chin in his hand, and began to think a Great Magic, while the Camel looked at his own reflection in the pool of water.

�You’ve given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your ’scruciating idleness,’ said the Djinn; and he went on thinking Magics, with his chin in his hand.

�Humph!’ said the Camel.

�I shouldn’t say that again if I were you[34 - I shouldn’t say that again if I were you. – На твоем месте я бы больше этого не говорил.],’ s aid the Djinn; �you might say it once too often. Bubbles, I want you to work[35 - I want you to work – Я хочу, чтобы ты работал.].