elephant and hedgehog

Once upon a time there were bush animals. They lived between them. Only on the earth. No, not quite. There were also in the bush the genies, the great and the dwarves, who, too, lived among themselves. As for men, they had not yet appeared on the earth.

At that time, distant, far away, there was on all surface of the earth only one stream, a small river with salt water, which belonged to the little hedgehog. A dwarf genius, a wokloni, had the kindness to show it to him:
- It's for you. If anyone drinks without your permission, the river will disappear. If you refuse anyone permission to drink, the river will disappear likewise.

By nature, the little hedgehog is not mean, despite its quills. It was enough to ask him: "Little hedgehog, I'm dying of thirst. Can I go drinking in your river? He always answered yes. And you could quench your thirst.

But one day, the elephant, stung by some unknown fly, stood up and declared:
- I, the greatest of all animals, the most powerful, the strongest, that I am obliged each time to ask permission to this little nothing hedgehog, is unacceptable. I will not do it anymore. From now on, I will drink without his permission!

he little hedgehog was not present. But the other animals, who were waiting for his arrival, said to the elephant:
- Do not do that, elephant. It does not cost you anything to ask permission from the little hedgehog. He never refused water to anyone.
But the elephant did not listen to them. He got up and went to drink the water from the river. But scarcely had he begun to drink than the river retreated. And the elephant left.

A few moments later, the little hedgehog arrived, who found that his little saltwater river was dry. He stood on his little legs and asked:
- Who drank all the water from my little river?
"It's the elephant," answered the other animals. He had been advised against it ...  

And the little hedgehog standing up on his little paws and singing with his angry voice:
"My little river to me
The elephant emptied it
If I ever see the elephant
If I ever meet the elephant
I will fight with him
And I will make him return my river
Word of hedgehog. "

So saying, the little hedgehog went in search of the elephant, he trotted alone in the bush. From time to time, he would sit up on his little legs or climb up a tree to look for the elephant's eyes.
He was really angry. But can a little hedgehog defeat the big elephant?
- Yes ! Yes ! I will defeat him, the little hedgehog had replied to the animals who had warned him.

The little hedgehog walked for a long time. It was towards the evening that he saw the elephant. The big pachyderm had finished gobbling up tons and tons of food and was resting on the sun's rays. He was sleeping.
The little hedgehog went straight to him. He gave her a paw, then another and another. The elephant woke up.
- It's you, you who drank all the water of my little river to me, huh? asked the angry little hedgehog.
- Yes it's me. It's me. And what do you want? the elephant grumbled.
- Fight me!
- Ah! ah! ah! the elephant burst forth. fight you? Have not you gone crazy?   

In response, the little hedgehog began to hit the elephant. And the elephant was angry. He stood up. He raised his trunk and knocked the little hedgehog in his turn. This was not to be done. The little hedgehog thrust all his quills into the elephant's trunk, which screamed in pain and called all the animals for help. They came to beg the little hedgehog to remove his quills from the elephant's trunk.

The little hedgehog, despite his quills, is not mean. He willingly agreed to look after the elephant. It is since that day that the elephant, in spite of its strength, never attacks the smaller than him.