There was once an old Tortoise who lived with his wife and family in a
large lake, on the borders of which grew an extensive jungle; and in
the forest there were many wild beasts, more especially Monkeys, who
swarmed in great numbers all along the shores of the lake.
It happened one day that the Tortoise came out of the lake and went for
a stroll amongst the trees which grew near the water. After walking for
some distance he became hungry, and looking up into a cocoanut-tree,
near which he found himself, he thought how much he should like to get
one of the cocoanuts which were growing near the top. He made several
awkward attempts to climb the tree, but the stem was so straight and so
smooth that he was quite unable to succeed; and he was just about to
give up the attempt in despair when he espied a large Monkey sitting
among the branches. The Monkey, who had been watching the Tortoise’s
attempts to climb the tree with some curiosity, felt rather sorry at
his failure, and noticing that the Tortoise was a fine, well-grown
fellow with a very handsome shell, he thought he would do him a
kindness, so breaking off one or two of the cocoanuts, he threw them
down to the Tortoise, who gratefully ate the fruit.
The two animals now entered into conversation with one another, and
soon striking up quite a friendship, the Monkey led away the Tortoise
into the jungle, and showed him a comfortable cave where he could spend
the night. The Tortoise was so interested with all he saw and so
pleased with his friend the Monkey, that he remained for several days
in the forest, moving about during the day and sleeping with the Monkey
in the cave every night.
Meanwhile Mrs. Tortoise was becoming rather anxious concerning her
husband’s prolonged absence. He had never been away from home for so
long before, so finally she despatched one of the young Tortoises to
find out where his father was and how he was getting on. The young
Tortoise accordingly swam to land, and after hunting about for some
time in the forest he came across his father near the cave.
“Good-morning, Father,” said he, “Mother has sent me to find out where
you are and how you are getting on.”
“Oh, I am all right, my boy,” replied Father Tortoise; “tell Mother she
need not trouble about me. My friend, Brother Monkey, and I are just
having a good time in the forest, and I will be home in a few days. Now
run off to your Mother.”
So the young Tortoise went back to his mother and told her what had
happened. Mrs. Tortoise was not at all pleased at her husband’s
conduct.
“It is quite time,” thought she, “that he should return to his wife and
family, instead of amusing himself with a vulgar Monkey in the forest.”
So she sent the boy back again to his father, with a message to say
that Mrs. Tortoise was very ill, and that her physician had told her
that the only thing to cure her was a Monkey’s heart. So he must return
at once to his home and bring a Monkey along with him.
The young Tortoise accordingly proceeded to hunt out his father again,
and as soon as he met him he gave him Mrs. Tortoise’s message. On
hearing the news of his wife’s illness, Mr. Tortoise became much
alarmed, and reproached himself for having stayed away for so long; and
in order to secure the necessary medicine for his wife he informed his
friend the Monkey that he was obliged to return home at once on urgent
business, and he invited the Monkey to come and spend a few days at his
house. The Monkey accepted his friend’s invitation, and the two set off
together to the shores of the lake.
When the Monkey understood that it would be necessary for him to enter
the lake, he became rather alarmed, and remarked to the Tortoise that
never having been in the water, he was afraid it would be difficult for
him to reach the Tortoise’s home.
“Never fear about that, Brother Monkey,” said the Tortoise; “I can
arrange that quite simply. If you will mount upon my back, I will swim
with you wherever we want to go.”
So the Monkey mounted upon the Tortoise’s back, and the Tortoise set
out to swim to his house.
As they went across the lake the Tortoise began telling the Monkey
about his wife’s illness, and in doing so he foolishly let out that the
only medicine to cure her was a Monkey’s heart. On hearing this the
Monkey became very much alarmed, and saw that he was being led into a
trap.
“Dear me, Brother Tortoise,” said he, “I am very much grieved to hear
of your wife’s illness, but if she is as bad as all that I do not think
that one Monkey’s heart will be enough. I should think that three or
four at least would be required in order to effect a cure. If you like,
I can easily get several other Monkeys from amongst my friends to
accompany us to your home.”
The Tortoise thought that this was a good idea, and agreed to carry the
Monkey back to the shore and await him there while he went off to fetch
some other Monkeys. So he turned round and swam back through the lake
till he reached the edge, where he waddled out on to the beach.
As soon as he found himself on dry land the Monkey skipped off the
Tortoise’s back as fast as he could, and climbed to the top of the
tallest tree he could find in a twinkling. On reaching the top of the
tree he began reviling the Tortoise, and calling out every bad name he
could think of.
“You are a nice sort of friend,” said he, “to ask me to pay a visit to
your home in order to kill me and use my heart as medicine for your
ugly wife. Do you call that a proper return for all my attention to
you, and for showing you all over the jungle? However, I have been too
clever for you this time, and you will have to do without my heart for
many a long day to come. And as to the hearts of those other Monkeys
that I promised to you—well, you can just wait till you find them for
yourself.” [9]
The Tortoise, on hearing these words, fell into a violent passion, and
made several efforts to climb the tree in order to punish the Monkey,
but being quite unable to climb at all, he soon gave up his attempt and
determined to get even with the Monkey in some other way. So he hid
himself in the water until evening, and as soon as it was dusk he came
out on the land and proceeded very quietly to the cave where he and the
Monkey had lived together, and concealed himself in the darkest corner
of it waiting till the Monkey should come in.
The Monkey, however, was a good deal too clever to be caught in a
simple trap like this. When his usual bedtime arrived, he came to the
mouth of the cave and, looking in, he called out in a loud voice:
“Oh, great cave! great cave!”
The Tortoise lay low in his dark corner and gave no sign of life.
After a few moments’ silence the Monkey again called out:
“Oh, great cave! great cave!”
Still the Tortoise lay low and gave no sign.
“Curious thing,” said the Monkey to himself in an audible tone of
voice, “very curious! There used always to be an echo in this cave, but
I can’t hear the slightest echo to-night. There must be something
wrong,” and saying this he again called out:
“Oh, great cave! great cave!”
The foolish Tortoise, thinking that if he simulated an echo the Monkey
would enter the cave as usual, hereupon gave answer from his dark
corner:
“Oh, great cave! great cave!”
On hearing this the Monkey chuckled to himself at the simplicity of the
Tortoise, and went off to sleep in some other part of the forest.
STORY No. XXI.