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Never one to waste time when he was hungry - and he was always hungry - he ruffled his feathers, sighed long and loudly and, with great presence of mind, managed to squeeze a few tears from his eyes, so that they trickled down his cruel yellow beak and fell with a gentle sploshl onto the waterlilies at his feet. Having got the tears and the sighing well under way, Henry grasped his little bell firmly in one foot and commenced ringing it frantically.

What with the salty tears which were now literally cascading off his beak, and the commotion caused by his bell, fish gathered around him by the bucketful.

This was what he'd been counting on. Briskly he turned off the tears and addressed them: "Ah, my children, I weep for you. Your days are numbered. Your beautiful pond is about to dry up. Don't ask me how I know - it is not ethical to reveal the source of a rumour - but in a couple of days there will be nothing here but dry dust "

"Aduh! Aduh!" wailed the fish in a great chorus. "What must we do to be saved?"

"Ah! I was hoping you would ask me thatl" said Henry hungrily - forgetting his role for a moment - but only a moment. Resuming a pious pose he announced:

"There is a way I can't help you, but it will involve me in great personal sacrifice."

Henry paused here and managed to squeeze another couple of tears out of his beady eyes, while the fish waited anxiously for him to continue.

"Well, my children," said Henry, "the solution is this. On the other side of the volcano there is a lake so deep that even I don't know where it ends. If I fly each of you there, one by one, you will never be short of water.--

Henry wa - s hard-pressed not to smile when he saw the efect of

his oration. Fins and scales were flying in all directions, as the fish
fought to see who would be first on the flight to salvation, never
guessing it was a one-way ticket to eternity.

"Now, nowl No jostling, please," said Henry, settling his magnificent red and gold crown importantly on his head. "Form a queue on the left, and when I lower my beak into the water, just swim into it, and the rescue operation will commence."

And so, in this outrageous manner, Henry commenced to gobble up all the most succulent fish - until Ketut the Crab happened to pass by.

What? I've never told you about Ketut?