After a long time -- things lived for ever so long in those days -- they learned to avoid anything that looked like a Leopard or an Ethiopian ; and bit by bit -- the Giraffe began it , because his legs were the longest -- they went away from the High Veldt . They scuttled for days and days and days till they came to a great forest , ` sclusively full of trees and bushes and stripy , speckly , patchy-blatchy shadows , and there they hid : and after another long time , what with standing half in the shade and half out of it , and what with the slippery-slidy shadows of the trees falling on them , the Giraffe grew blotchy , and the Zebra grew stripy , and the Eland and the Koodoo grew darker , with little wavy grey lines on their backs like bark on a tree trunk ; and so , though you could hear them and smell them , you could very seldom see them , and then only when you knew precisely where to look . They had a beautiful time in the ` sclusively speckly-spickly shadows of the forest , while the Leopard and the Ethiopian ran about over the ` sclusively greyish-yellowish-reddish High Veldt outside , wondering where all their breakfasts and their dinners and their teas had gone . At last they were so hungry that they ate rats and beetles and rock-rabbits , the Leopard and the Ethiopian , and then they had the Big Tummy-ache , both together ; and then they met Baviaan -- the dog-headed , barking Baboon , who is Quite the Wisest Animal in All South Africa . Said Leopard to Baviaan -LRB- and it was a very hot day -RRB- , ` Where has all the game gone ? ' And Baviaan winked . He knew . Said the Ethiopian to Baviaan , ` Can you tell me the present habitat of the aboriginal Fauna ? ' -LRB- That meant just the same thing , but the Ethiopian always used long words . He was a grown-up . -RRB- And Baviaan winked . He knew . Then said Baviaan , ` The game has gone into other spots ; and my advice to you , Leopard , is to go into other spots as soon as you can . ' And the Ethiopian said , ` That is all very fine , but I wish to know whither the aboriginal Fauna has migrated . ' Then said Baviaan , ` The aboriginal Fauna has joined the aboriginal Flora because it was high time for a change ; and my advice to you , Ethiopian , is to change as soon as you can . ' That puzzled the Leopard and the Ethiopian , but they set off to look for the aboriginal Flora , and presently , after ever so many days , they saw a great , high , tall forest full of tree trunks all ` sclusively speckled and sprottled and spottled , dotted and splashed and slashed and hatched and cross-hatched with shadows . -LRB- Say that quickly aloud , and you will see how very shadowy the forest must have been . -RRB- ` What is this , ' said the Leopard , ` that is so ` sclusively dark , and yet so full of little pieces of light ? ' ' I do n't know , said the Ethiopian , ` but it ought to be the aboriginal Flora . I can smell Giraffe , and I can hear Giraffe , but I ca n't see Giraffe . '
` That 's curious , ' said the XXXXX . '
Africa Baviaan Eland Ethiopian Flora Leopard Tummy-ache day rock-rabbits whither