The Story of a Monkey

_Ilocano_

One day when a monkey was climbing a tree in the forest in which he

lived, he ran a thorn into his tail. Try as he would, he could not

get it out, so he went to a barber in the town and said:

"Friend Barber, I have a thorn in the end of my tail. Pull it out,

and I will pay you well."

The barber tried to pull out the thorn with his razor, but in doing

so he cut off the end of the tail. The monkey was very angry and cried:

"Barber, Barber, give me back my tail, or give me your razor!"

The barber could not put back the end of the monkey's tail, so he

gave him his razor.

On the way home the monkey met an old woman who was cutting wood for

fuel, and he said to her:

"Grandmother, Grandmother, that is very hard. Use this razor and then

it will cut easily."

The old woman was very pleased with the offer and began to cut with the

razor, but before she had used it long it broke. Then the monkey cried:

"Grandmother, Grandmother, you have broken my razor! You must get a

new one for me or else give me all the firewood."

The old woman could not get a new razor so she gave him the firewood.

The monkey took the wood and was going back to town to sell it,

when he saw a woman sitting beside the road making cakes.

"Grandmother, Grandmother," said he, "your wood is most gone; take

this of mine and bake more cakes."

The woman took the wood and thanked him for his kindness, but when

the last stick was burned, the monkey cried out:

"Grandmother, Grandmother, you have burned up all my wood! Now you

must give me all your cakes to pay for it."

The old woman could not cut more dry wood at once, so she gave him

all the cakes.

The monkey took the cakes and started for the town, but on the way he

met a dog which bit him so that he died. And the dog ate all the cakes.

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.

The Story of Juan and the Monkey

Juan was a farmer, a farmer so poor that he had only one shirt and

one pair of trousers. Juan was much annoyed by monkeys, who stole his

corn. So he set a trap and caught several of them. These he killed

with a club until he came to the last, which said to him, "Juan,

don't kill me and I will be your servant all your life." "But I will,"

said Juan. "You are a thief and do not deserve to live." "Juan, let me

live, and I will bring you good fortune, and if you kill me you will

be poor all your life." The monkey talked so eloquently that Juan let

himself be persuaded, and took the monkey home with him. The monkey

was true to his word, and served Juan faithfully, cooking, washing,

and hunting food for him, and at night going to distant fields and

stealing maize and palay which he added to Juan's little store.

One day the monkey said to Juan, "Juan, why do you not marry?" Said

Juan, "How can I marry? I have nothing to keep a wife." "Take my

advice," said the monkey, "and you can marry the king's daughter." Juan

took the monkey's advice and they set out for the king's palace. Juan

remained behind while the monkey went up to the palace alone. Outside

he called, as the custom is, "Honorable people!" and the king said,

"Come in." The king said, "Monkey, where do you walk?" and the monkey

said, "Mr. King, I wish to borrow your salop. My master wishes to

measure his money." The king lent him the salop (a measure of about

two quarts), and the monkey returned to Juan. After a few hours he

returned it with a large copper piece cunningly stuck to the bottom

with paste. The king saw it and called the monkey's attention to it,

but the monkey haughtily waved his hand, and told the king that a

single coin was of no consequence to his master.

The next day he borrowed the salop again and the coin stuck in the

bottom was half a peso, and the third day the coin was a peso, but

these he assured the king were of no more consequence to his master

than the copper. Then the king told the monkey to bring his master

to call, and the monkey promised that after a few days he would.

They went home, and as Juan's clothes must be washed, Juan went to

bed while the monkey washed and starched them, pulling, pressing,

and smoothing them with his hands because he had no iron.

Then they went to call on the king, and the king told Juan that he

should marry the princess as soon as he could show the king a large

house, with a hundred head of cattle, carabao, horses, sheep, and

goats. Juan was very despondent at this, though he was too brave to

let the king know his thoughts, he told his troubles to the monkey,

who assured him that the matter was very easy.

The next day they took a drum and a shovel and went into the mountains,

where there was a great enchanter who was a very wealthy man and also

an asuang. They dug a great hole and then Juan hid in the woods and

began to beat his drum, and the monkey rushed up to the enchanter's

house and told him the soldiers were coming, and that he would hide

him. So the enchanter went with the monkey to the hole and the monkey

pushed him in and began with hands and feet to cover him up. Juan

helped, and soon the enchanter was dead and buried. Then they went

to the house and at the first door they opened they liberated fifty

people who were being fattened for the enchanter's table. These

people were glad to help Juan convey all the money, cattle, and all

the enchanter's wealth to the town. Juan built a house on the plaza,

married the princess, and lived happily ever after, but his friend the

monkey, having so well earned his liberty, he sent back to the woods,

and their friendship still continued.