Once upon a time Kee'ma, the monkey, and Pa'pa, the shark, became
great friends.
The monkey lived in an immense mkooyoo tree which grew by the margin
of the sea--half of its branches being over the water and half over
the land.
Every morning, when the monkey was breakfasting on the kooyoo nuts,
the shark would put in an appearance under the tree and call out,
"Throw me some food, my friend;" with which request the monkey complied
most willingly.
This continued for many months, until one day Papa said, "Keema,
you have done me many kindnesses: I would like you to go with me to
my home, that I may repay you."
"How can I go?" said the monkey; "we land beasts can not go about in
the water."
"Don't trouble yourself about that," replied the shark; "I will carry
you. Not a drop of water shall get to you."
"Oh, all right, then," said Mr. Keema; "let's go."
When they had gone about half-way the shark stopped, and said:
"You are my friend. I will tell you the truth."
"Why, what is there to tell?" asked the monkey, with surprise.
"Well, you see, the fact is that our sultan is very sick, and we
have been told that the only medicine that will do him any good is
a monkey's heart."
"Well," exclaimed Keema, "you were very foolish not to tell me that
before we started!"
"How so?" asked Papa.
But the monkey was busy thinking up some means of saving himself,
and made no reply.
"Well?" said the shark, anxiously; "why don't you speak?"
"Oh, I've nothing to say now. It's too late. But if you had told me
this before we started, I might have brought my heart with me."
"What? haven't you your heart here?"
"Huh!" ejaculated Keema; "don't you know about us? When we go out we
leave our hearts in the trees, and go about with only our bodies. But
I see you don't believe me. You think I'm scared. Come on; let's go
to your home, where you can kill me and search for my heart in vain."
The shark did believe him, though, and exclaimed, "Oh, no; let's go
back and get your heart."
"Indeed, no," protested Keema; "let us go on to your home."
But the shark insisted that they should go back, get the heart,
and start afresh.
At last, with great apparent reluctance, the monkey consented,
grumbling sulkily at the unnecessary trouble he was being put to.
When they got back to the tree, he climbed up in a great hurry,
calling out, "Wait there, Papa, my friend, while I get my heart,
and we'll start off properly next time."
When he had got well up among the branches, he sat down and kept
quite still.
After waiting what he considered a reasonable length of time, the
shark called, "Come along, Keema!" But Keema just kept still and
said nothing.