Chapter 6 The Beginning of the Armadillos.
In olden days, on the banks of the wild and dangerous Amazon River, there lived two very good friends.
One was Stickly Prickly Hedgehog, who ate shelled snails and things.
The other was Slow and Solid Tortoise, who ate green lettuces and things.
Painted Jaguar, who ate anything he could catch, also lived along the banks of the Amazon River.
When he could not catch deer or monkeys, he would catch frogs and beetles.
When there were no other deer monkeys, frogs or beetles left, he asked his mother what else he should catch.
Hedgehogs and tortoises, she said, to catch a and then you can eat him.
To catch a tortoise, scoop him out of his shell with your paw.
One beautiful night along the banks of the wild and dangerous Amazon River, Painted Jaguar found Stickly, Prickly Hedgehog and Slow and Solid Tortoise.
In defense, Stickly Prickly Hedgehog curled himself into a ball.
Slow and solid tortoise drew his head and feet into his shell, but painted jaguar didn't care.
"'Which one of you is a hedgehog and which one of you is a tortoise?' he asked.
"'Why do you want to know?' asked slow and solid tortoise from inside his shell.
Painted jaguar explained about his mother's advice.
I think your mother is all mixed up, said Stickly Prickly.
The truth is, when you uncoil a tortoise, you should scoop him out of the water.
And when you paw a hedgehog, you must drop him on his shell, added Slow and Solid Tortoise.
Or perhaps when you water a hedgehog, you must drop him into your paw, said Stickly, Prickly Hedgehog.
Or when you meet a tortoise, you must shell him until he uncoils, said Slow and Solid Tortoise.
Stop, you make my spots ache.
I don't want your advice at all.
I just want to know which of you is which, cried Painted Jaguar.
I'm telling you, said Stickly Prickly Hedgehog, just try scooping me out of my shell.
Aha, said Painted Jaguar, so you're the tortoise.
Painted Jaguar reached for Stickly Prickly Hedgehog just as he curled himself up into a ball.
Ow, said Painted Jaguar.
He felt a sting as he knocked Stickly Prickly Hedgehog deep into the bushes.
His paw was full of prickles.
Then he turned to Slow and Solid Tortoise.
So you must be a tortoise, Painted Jaguar said, nursing his prickly paw in his mouth.
I'll just scoop you out of your shell.
Are you sure that's what your mother said?
Asked Slow and Solid Tortoise.
I thought she told you to drop me into the water and then scoop me out of my shell.
Painted Jaguar thought for a moment.
He couldn't remember what his mother had said.
Now I'm all mixed up, he said.
You seem quite anxious for me to drop you into the water.
That makes me think you really don't want to be, which means that's exactly what I'll do, cried Painted Jaguar as he dropped Slow and Solid Tortoise into the river.
As soon as Slow and Solid Tortoise hit the water, he swam away as fast as he could.
They got away, Painted Jaguar told his mother as he explained what had happened that day.
Meanwhile Stickly, Prickly Hedgehog and Slow and Solid Tortoise knew that Painted Jaguar would be back, so they came up with a new and clever plan.
Slow and Solid Tortoise taught Stickly Prickly Hedgehog how to swim.
Stickly, Prickly Hedgehog loosened Slow and Solid Tortoise's back shell plates so he could curl up in a ball.
As they each practiced curling up and swimming, a curious thing occurred.
Slow and Solid.
Tortoise's back plates started to overlap instead of lying side by side, and Stickly, Prickly Hedgehog's prickles began to blend together.
After several days of practicing each other's moves, they looked very similar.
In fact, they looked nothing like what they were before.
They gazed at their reflections in the water of the wild and dangerous Amazon River.
We will certainly confuse Painted Jaguar now, they laughed together.
Let's go find him.
They came upon Painted Jaguar still nursing his prickly paw.
"'Morning,' said Stickly Prickly Hedgehog.
"'How is your mother?' asked Slow and Solid Tortoise.
"'Who are you?' asked Painted Jaguar.
"'And how do you know my mother?'
"'Don't you remember us?' asked Stickly Prickly Hedgehog.
"'Hedgehog and Tortoise,' Slow and Solid Tortoise reminded him.
"'Aha! said Painted Jaguar.
He reached out to grab them.
They both curled themselves up and rolled around Painted Jaguar until his eyes turned cartwheels in his head.
Then they rolled off to safety in the woods while Painted Jaguar went to find his mother.
But it wasn't exactly a hedgehog and it wasn't precisely a tortoise Painted Jaguar tried to explain.
Then we shall call it an armadillo said Painted Jaguar's mother, until we can give it a proper name.
And from that day to this, the swimming hedgehog with the prickly coat and the curling tortoise with the overlapping shell are known as the armadillo.