When a man named Noah started building a boat in the
middle of the desert, everybody laughed. They thought he was daft. But Noah
wasn't listening to them, he was listening to the God of the Hebrews, who said
to build a boat. So Noah built a boat.
Noah called his boat an ark. When he finished it, he
rounded up all the animals, two by two, to travel on his ark. People laughed at
Noah's possums and panthers and penguins. They laughed at his cheetahs and
chinchillas, giraffes and gazelles, and rhinoceroses and hippopatamuses. Into
the ark went all the animals, two by two.
Pretty soon, it started to rain. It rained, and it
poured, and it rained some more. People stopped laughing and the ark started
floating. Noah and his family and all the animals, two by two, rode safely on
the waters. They sailed for 40 days and 40 nights.
When the rains stopped, out of the ark came Noah and
his family and all of the animals, two by two. Except one. No one could find
the little dog. Noah searched everywhere. He looked on the first deck. He
looked on the second deck, then the third deck. Finally, in the farthest corner
in the lowest deck, he found the little dog. The dog was shivering and standing
with his nose pressed hard against the side of the boat.
"Come here, little dog!" called Noah.
"It's time to come out! Here, doggie, doggie!" The little dog
wouldn't move. Noah gently pulled him away.
"What's this?" said Noah. "A hole in
the ark! The ark might have sunk! Little dog! You kept us safe - me, my family,
and all of the animals, two by two! With your little nose!"
The little dog was proud. But mostly, he was hungry.
"Little dog," said Noah, as he pulled out a juicy bone, "so all
the world and all the generations will know your great deed, your nose will
always be cold and wet, just as it is today."
That's how the dog got his cold, wet nose. When you
feel it, remember the little dog who used his nose to protect Noah, his family,
and all of the animals, two by two.
(Stanley Holloway)
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