The Monkey and the Turtle

_Ilocano_

A monkey, looking very sad and dejected, was walking along the bank

of the river one day when he met a turtle.

"How are you?" asked the turtle, noticing that he looked sad.

The monkey replied, "Oh, my friend, I am very hungry. The squash of

Mr. Farmer were all taken by the other monkeys, and now I am about

to die from want of food."

"Do not be discouraged," said the turtle; "take a bolo and follow me

and we will steal some banana plants."

So they walked along together until they found some nice plants which

they dug up, and then they looked for a place to set them. Finally

the monkey climbed a tree and planted his in it, but as the turtle

could not climb he dug a hole in the ground and set his there.

When their work was finished they went away, planning what they should

do with their crop. The monkey said:

"When my tree bears fruit, I shall sell it and have a great deal

of money."

And the turtle said: "When my tree bears fruit, I shall sell it and

buy three varas of cloth to wear in place of this cracked shell."

A few weeks later they went back to the place to see their plants and

found that that of the monkey was dead, for its roots had had no soil

in the tree, but that of the turtle was tall and bearing fruit.

"I will climb to the top so that we can get the fruit," said the

monkey. And he sprang up the tree, leaving the poor turtle on the

ground alone.

"Please give me some to eat," called the turtle, but the monkey threw

him only a green one and ate all the ripe ones himself.

When he had eaten all the good bananas, the monkey stretched his arms

around the tree and went to sleep. The turtle, seeing this, was very

angry and considered how he might punish the thief. Having decided

on a scheme, he gathered some sharp bamboo which he stuck all around

under the tree, and then he exclaimed:

"Crocodile is coming! Crocodile is coming!"

The monkey was so startled at the cry that he fell upon the sharp

bamboo and was killed.

Then the turtle cut the dead monkey into pieces, put salt on it, and

dried it in the sun. The next day, he went to the mountains and sold

his meat to other monkeys who gladly gave him squash in return. As

he was leaving them he called back:

"Lazy fellows, you are now eating your own body; you are now eating

your own body."

Then the monkeys ran and caught him and carried him to their own home.

"Let us take a hatchet," said one old monkey, "and cut him into very

small pieces."

But the turtle laughed and said: "That is just what I like, I have

been struck with a hatchet many times. Do you not see the black scars

on my shell?"

Then one of the other monkeys said: "Let us throw him into the water,"

At this the turtle cried and begged them to spare his life, but they

paid no heed to his pleadings and threw him into the water. He sank

to the bottom, but very soon came up with a lobster. The monkeys

were greatly surprised at this and begged him to tell them how to

catch lobsters.

"I tied one end of a string around my waist," said the turtle. "To

the other end of the string I tied a stone so that I would sink."

The monkeys immediately tied strings around themselves as the turtle

said, and when all was ready they plunged into the water never to

come up again.

And to this day monkeys do not like to eat meat, because they remember

the ancient story.