Once, there was a very large cave whose top part was dry while the bottom was filled with water. In the dry part, there lived many animals but in the water, a crocodile lived alone. At times, he came out of the cave for a very short duration. One day, a hunter came near the cave with his bow and arrow. He looked at the crocodile and aimed at him to kill. Alas! He became blind. The moment he dropped his arrow, he could see again! The crocodile was happy and smiling. Angry at his smiling face, the hunter picked up his bow and arrow again and aimed at the crocodile for a second time. Again, he became blind! The hunter ran back to his village and told everyone about the crocodile. “As I aimed at him, I became blind. But when the arrow fell out of my bow then I could see again,” he said.
The Crocodile and the Hunters
No one in the village believed the hunter. But when he insisted, people took their bows and arrows and went to the cave with him. They saw the crocodile lying in the sun near the cave. As they went close to him, they became blind. “Take your arrows off your bows,” the hunter shouted. They did so and could see again! Now, everyone believed that the crocodile was a magic crocodile. The crocodile was happy and thought that no man could kill him. He went back to his cave. The other animals in the cave were also happy. The magic crocodile did not let the hunters kill any animal. All the animals thanked the crocodile. Many people came to the cave and tried to kill the crocodile. But all of them failed. In those days, the hunters knew nothing about the guns. When the first hunter with the gun came, he killed the magic crocodile. The magic of the crocodile worked only against bows and arrows.
