The old crocodile was floating at the riverās edge when a younger crocodile swam up next to him,
āIāve heard from many that youāre the fiercest hunter in all of the river bottoms. Please, teach me your ways.ā
Awoken
from a nice long afternoon nap, the old crocodile glanced at the young
crocodile with one of his reptilian eyes, said nothing and then fell
back asleep atop the water.
Feeling
frustrated and disrespected, the young crocodile swam off upriver to
chase after some catfish, leaving behind a flurry of bubbles. āIāll show himā, he thought to himself.
Later
that day the young crocodile returned to the old crocodile who was
still napping and began to brag to him about his successful hunt,
āI caught two meaty catfish today. What have you caught? Nothing? Perhaps youāre not so fierce after all.ā
Unphased
the old crocodile again looked at the young crocodile, said nothing,
closed his eyes and continued to float atop the water as tiny minnows
muched away lightly at the algae on his underbelly.
Again,
the young crocodile was angry he couldnāt get a response from the
elder, and he swam off a second time upstream to see what he could hunt.
After
a few hours of thrashing about he was able to hunt down a small crane.
Smiling, he kept the bird in his jaws and swam back to the old
crocodile, adamant about showing him who the true hunter was.
As the young crocodile rounded the bend, he saw the elder crocodile still floating in the same spot near the riverās edge.
However, something had changedāāāa large wildebeest was enjoying an afternoon drink just inches near the old crocodileās head.
In
one lightning fast movement, the old crocodile bolted out of the water,
wrapped his jaws around the great wildebeest and pulled him under the
river.
Awestruck
the young crocodile swam up with the tiny bird hanging from his mouth
and watched as the old crocodile enjoyed his 500 lb meal.
The young crocodile asked him, āPlease⦠tell me⦠how⦠how did you do that?ā
Through mouthfuls of wildebeest, the old crocodile finally responded,
āI did nothing.ā