A tortoise and a monkey were great friends, and as they were on the
road one day, a man passed laden with plantains. And the monkey, seeing
him, said "You go and wait on the road, and when the man pursues you,
run away. And so the man put down his load (the monkey having hid in
the jungle), and ran after the tortoise. Then the monkey came out of
the jungle and took the plantains and molasses that the man bare,
and climbed with them into a tree. Then the man, not being able
to catch the tortoise, returned, and, not getting his things, went
home. Then the tortoise returned and asked his friend for his share
of the plantains and molasses. And the monkey offered him for molasses
potsherds, and for plantains their skins only; and, when the tortoise
insisted, the monkey got angry and hoisted his friend into the tree,
saying "See for yourself, if any plantains or molasses be left." And
so he went away and left him. And he could not get down, and one by
one various animals came under the tree, but could not help him. And
last of these came a very aged rhinoceros, and the tortoise begged
leave to jump down on his back. And to this the rhinoceros consented,
and so the tortoise leapt down, with such force that he broke the
old rhinoceros' back. Then he covered up the corpse with leaves, and
going to the king's court, sat him down under the king's throne; and,
when the royal council was assembled, the tortoise sneezed loudly,
"Who dared to sneeze?" said the king. "Cut off his nose!" But they all
with one accord declared that they had not sneezed, and, after he had
sneezed once or twice again, some one saw the tortoise under the king's
throne. So he said respectfully "If your Majesty wishes, you can kill
me, but I have something to say: There is some living thing under your
Majesty's throne. Without doubt, it was that which sneezed." On which
the king, looking under his throne, saw the tortoise, and ordered them
to cut off his nose. But the tortoise said "Do not cut off my nose,
and in return I will give your Majesty a rhinoceros." And at first
the king was angry, but for his entreating gave him men with him to
fetch his rhinoceros, and when the men returned with the body of the
rhinoceros, the king was very pleased, and gave the tortoise a horse.
And as he was riding off, he met the monkey and told him that the
king had given him the horse. And when the monkey asked him why,
he said that he had jumped on to a common lizard from the tree, on
which the monkey had left him and had killed it. And that then he had
covered it up with leaves and told the king it was a rhinoceros. And
the king was pleased and gave him a horse. So the monkey killed a
lizard, and went and told the king it was a rhinoceros, and got his
nose cut off for his pains. And that's all!