The Complete Adventures of Curious George (14 page)

When he was safely out of the house he first turned off the tap. But what next? How could he get rid of all the lather before his friend came home?

George sat down in the grass and thought for a long time. Finally he had an idea: he would get the big shovel and shovel the lather out of the window!

But where WAS the lather? While George had been outside thinking, it had all turned into water. Now the room looked like a lake and the furniture like islands in it.

The shovel was no use—a pump was what George needed

to get the water out, and he knew just where to find one: he had seen a portable pump at the farm down the road.

The farmer was away working in the fields. Nobody noticed George when he got the pump out of the shed.

It was heavy. He would need help to pull it all the way back to the house.

Maybe he could tie the goat to the pump and make her pull it? But just as George was about to slip the loop over the goat's head—

he was hurled through the air and landed near a pen full of pigs.

The biggest pig was standing near the gate. What if George opened the gate just enough to let him out? A big pig could easily pull a small pump.

Carefully George lifted the latch—and before he

knew it, ALL the pigs had burst out of the pen, grunting and squealing and trying to get away as fast as they could. George was delighted. He had never seen anything like it. For the moment all his troubles were forgotten...

But now the pigs were all gone and not a single one was left to help him with the pump.

Luckily, there were cows grazing nearby. Cows were gentle and strong. It would mean nothing to a cow to pull the pump for him.

This time George was right, the cow did not mind being tied to the pump. She even let him climb on her back—and off they went! George was glad: now he would soon be home, pump out the room, and everything would be all right.

Meanwhile the farmer and his son had heard the squealing of the pigs. They rushed home from the fields and now had their hands full catching all the pigs. Not until the

last pig was safely back in the pen did they have time to look around. And what did they see? A little monkey riding on their cow, making off with their pump!