all scrambled up" cried the alligator. "Water, water, quick! I must have
water!"

Then he gave a big jump, and, with his kinkery-scalery tail, he leaped
into a big puddle of water, and went away down in under, out of sight, to
cool off his mouth.

"Oh, now is my chance! If I could only get down out of the tree!"
exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "But with my rheumatism I'm afraid I'll fall. Oh
dear! What shall I do?"

"Don't be afraid, I'll help you!" exclaimed a kind voice, and then the
voice went on: "Caw! Caw! Caw!" and Uncle Wiggily, looking up, saw a big
black crow perched on a limb over his head.

"Oh, how do you do!" spoke Uncle Wiggily, making a bow as well as he
could. "Can you really help me down?'

"Yes," said the crow, "I can. Wait until I get my market basket. I was
just going to the grocery, but I'm in no hurry. I'll save you first."

So that crow flew off, and in a moment he came back with a big basket in
its bill.

"Hop in!" the black crow called to Uncle Wiggily, "and I'll fly down to
the ground with you, and you can run off before the alligator comes out of
the water. I saw what you did to him with those toothache drops, and it
served him right. Come on, hop in the basket."

So Uncle Wiggily got in the basket, and the crow, taking the handle in his