Many years ago, there were many crocodiles in the Sook river, near Sook.  But now the river is shallow and only when it rains does it flood and become deep again.  The crocodiles can only be seen when the river is flooded.

    A long time ago many people did not dare to go into the river because of the crocodiles.  So these people had to use bamboos for carrying water to their homes and had their bath there.  But now the people, even the small children, dare to go into the river to bathe.  This is so because one day an old woman went to take her bath in the river.  She had put up her hair and clipped it with a special clip known as a Timbok, which was six inches long.  While she was having her bath a hungry crocodile came and swallowed her but the timbuk got stuck in the crocodile's throat.  He did not know that he had swallowed the Timbok. H e hurt his throat and could not close his mouth, and so he was sick.

The woman was surprised to see the body of a crocodile but the face of a man

    The sick crocodile was the son of the chief crocodile.  The chief was worried that his son might die.  So he called all his counsellors and had a meeting.  One of the counsellors told him that there was a woman called Aru Taul who could cure sick people.  So the chief suggested that one of the crocodiles must go and bring the woman to cure his son.  One of the crocodiles went. He was very lucky for when he was approaching the river bank he saw the woman. So he went to her in the form of a human being.  The woman was surprised to see the body of a crocodile but the face of a man.  At first she was very frightened and wanted to run away, but the crocodile told her not to  be afraid.  The crocodile kept on asking her, so Aru Taul accepted.  Before they went the crocodile asked her to climb on his back and close her eyes.  She did what she was told and felt that the journey was very long.  Then suddenly the crocodile was in the crocodile kingdom.  She was soon beside the sick crocodile.  The chief spoke to her. He told her to cure his son and promised to give her anything she wanted.  The woman looked into the mouth of the sick crocodile and saw the timbok. Then she knew that the crocodile had eaten a woman who had disappeared from her village.

    She had an idea of how to take out the timbok so she told all the crocodiles to close their eyes.  When all of them had closed their eyes Aru Taul put her hand into the young crocodile's mouth and pull out the timbok. The young sick crocodile began feel better.  Aru Taul then told the other crocodiles to open their eyes.  When they saw that the sick crocodiles had become better they were grateful to her.  She showed the timbok to  the chief and told him that the young crocodile had eaten a human being. She told them that every person in the village had such as a timbok and that they wore them every day.  The woman told them that if they ate any more people she would not help them to take out the timbok and let them die.  This scared the crocodiles.  After that the woman was sent home and she was given plenty of gold, diamonds and jewels.

    So from that day onwards the people were no longer afraid of the crocodile in the Sook river, and they called them 'Aru Taul', because she had made peace with them.