As twilight sets in, Elmer puzzles over how to cross the river. He sees a tall flagpole with a rope attached that reaches across the river. The rope is connected to a crank. A sign directs passengers to turn the crank to call the dragon and to report any trouble to Gorilla. Elmer realizes the other end of the rope is around the baby dragon’s neck. He thinks how horrible life must be for him: getting his wings twisted by Gorilla on one side of the river, or having his neck pulled by the rope on the other. Elmer decides he must climb the flagpole and go hand over hand across the rope over the river, when Crocodile, hungry for a sweet morsel, invites him to swim.

Elmer declines but offers Crocodile a pink lollipop. The crocodile and his 16 friends enthusiastically accept. Elmer places one lollipop on the riverbank for the first crocodile to lick. He politely asks to walk along his back and rubber-bands a lollipop to his tail so the next crocodile can lick it. Crocodile agrees, and Elmer begins attaching lollipops to each tail, making a bridge of crocodiles spanning the river.