The Clever Kancil (Mouse-deer) and Crocodile

One day, Mouse Deer went to the river to take a drink. But he knew that the crocodile might be lurking underwater, waiting to eat him.

So he said out loud, "I wonder if the water’s warm. I’ll put in my leg and find out."

Of course, Mouse Deer didn’t actually put in his leg. Instead, he picked up a stick and gently dipped one end into the water. Chomp…! Crocodile snapped at the stick and pulled it underwater. Mouse Deer laughed.

"Ha… ha…ha… Silly crocodile! Don’t you know the difference between a stick and a leg?" Then Mouse Deer ran off to drink somewhere safer.

The next day, Mouse Deer wanted to cross the river to reach the delicious fruits on the other side. As he approached the riverbank, he noticed a log floating in the water. But Mouse Deer was clever; he knew that a crocodile could look like a log when it floated. He didn’t want to risk being eaten, so he came up with a plan.

He called out loudly, "Crocodile!" 

Crocodile rose from the water, grinning. "Hello, Mouse Deer. Have you come to be my lunch today?"

Mouse Deer smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, not today, Crocodile. I have important orders from the King. He wants to invite all the crocodiles in this river to a grand feast. But first, I need to count all of you so he can prepare enough food for everyone."

"Really…? What do we need to do?" asked Crocodile, intrigued.

"All of you must line up from this side of the river to the other side," said Mouse Deer.

Excited, Crocodile called for all his friends and family. They quickly lined up across the river, eager for the promised feast. Mouse Deer then jumped onto Crocodile’s back.

"One," he counted.

He hopped onto the next crocodile. "Two."

And then onto the next. "Three."

Mouse Deer continued counting as he leaped from one crocodile to the next until he reached the far side of the river.

"How many are there?" asked Crocodile eagerly.

"Just enough," replied Mouse Deer with a grin.

And with that, he laughed and ran off into the forest, leaving the bewildered crocodiles behind.