登陆注册
5158000000086

第86章 The Crab And The Monkey

There was once a crab who lived in a hole on the shady side of a mountain.She was a very good housewife, and so careful and industrious that there was no creature in the whole country whose hole was so neat and clean as hers, and she took great pride in it.

One day she saw lying near the mouth of her hole a handful of cooked rice which some pilgrim must have let fall when he was stopping to eat his dinner.Delighted at this discovery, she hastened to the spot, and was carrying the rice back to her hole when a monkey, who lived in some trees near by, came down to see what the crab was doing.His eyes shone at the sight of the rice, for it was his favourite food, and like the sly fellow he was, he proposed a bargain to the crab.She was to give him half the rice in exchange for the kernel of a sweet red kaki fruit which he had just eaten.He half expected that the crab would laugh in his face at this impudent proposal, but instead of doing so she only looked at him for a moment with her head on one side and then said that she would agree to the exchange.So the monkey went off with his rice, and the crab returned to her hole with the kernel.

For some time the crab saw no more of the monkey, who had gone to pay a visit on the sunny side of the mountain; but one morning he happened to pass by her hole, and found her sitting under the shadow of a beautiful kaki tree.

'Good day,' he said politely, 'you have some very fine fruit there! Iam very hungry, could you spare me one or two?'

'Oh, certainly,' replied the crab, 'but you must forgive me if I cannot get them for you myself.I am no tree-climber.'

'Pray do not apologise,' answered the monkey.'Now that I have your permission I can get them myself quite easily.' And the crab consented to let him go up, merely saying that he must throw her down half the fruit.

In another moment he was swinging himself from branch to branch, eating all the ripest kakis and filling his pockets with the rest, and the poor crab saw to her disgust that the few he threw down to her were either not ripe at all or else quite rotten.

'You are a shocking rogue,' she called in a rage; but the monkey took no notice, and went on eating as fast as he could.The crab understood that it was no use her scolding, so she resolved to try what cunning would do.

'Sir Monkey,' she said, ' you are certainly a very good climber, but now that you have eaten so much, I am quite sure you would never be able to turn one of your somersaults.' The monkey prided himself on turning better somersaults than any of his family, so he instantly went head over heels three times on the bough on which he was sitting, and all the beautiful kakis that he had in his pockets rolled to the ground.Quick as lightning the crab picked them up and carried a quantity of them into her house, but when she came up for another the monkey sprang on her, and treated her so badly that he left her for dead.When he had beaten her till his arm ached he went his way.

It was a lucky thing for the poor crab that she had some friends to come to her help or she certainly would have died then and there.

The wasp flew to her, and took her back to bed and looked after her, and then he consulted with a rice-mortar and an egg which had fallen out of a nest near by, and they agreed that when the monkey returned, as he was sure to do, to steal the rest of the fruit, that they would punish him severely for the manner in which he had behaved to the crab.So the mortar climbed up to the beam over the front door, and the egg lay quite still on the ground, while the wasp set down the water-bucket in a corner.Then the crab dug itself a deep hole in the ground, so that not even the tip of her claws might be seen.

Soon after everything was ready the monkey jumped down from his tree, and creeping to the door began a long hypocritical speech, asking pardon for all he had done.He waited for an answer of some sort, but none came.He listened, but all was still; then he peeped, and saw no one; then he went in.He peered about for the crab, but in vain; however, his eyes fell on the egg, which he snatched up and set on the fire.But in a moment the egg had burst into a thousand pieces, and its sharp shell struck him in the face and scratched him horribly.Smarting with pain he ran to the bucket and stooped down to throw some water over his head.As he stretched out his hand up started the wasp and stung him on the nose.The monkey shrieked and ran to the door, but as he passed through down fell the mortar and struck him dead.'After that the crab lived happily for many years, and at length died in peace under her own kaki tree.

[From Japanische Mahrchen.]

同类推荐
  • The Golden Bough

    The Golden Bough

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 从政遗规

    从政遗规

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 法华十妙不二门示珠指

    法华十妙不二门示珠指

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 乾元秘旨

    乾元秘旨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

    The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 守得云开见清明

    守得云开见清明

    在南宫芮雪监护人的葬礼上,他突然出现,对她说:从今天开始,我会承担起抚养你的责任。从那时开始,她就下定决心,要跟着他一生一世。但在她成年之后,她才知道,他有一个美丽的未婚妻,为了他,她卷入了家族利益和财富之争中。
  • 太想赢你就输了

    太想赢你就输了

    中国家长对孩子的爱,似乎总在“哺育”,很难上升到“教育”。他们只是无微不至关心孩子的生活起居,很少在意孩子的思想轨迹和世界观的形成。父母为孩子力所能及地挡风遮雨,却适得其反,让孩子丧失了独立处理矛盾,解决问题的机会。本书在正确看待吃苦、孝顺、金钱、熊孩子、网络、恋爱、生死等关键话题中展开,给出了欧式素质教育在这些问题上的教育方法和答案,可供中国父母借鉴。
  • 水浒传

    水浒传

    《水浒传》,是我国第一部以农民起义为题材的长篇章回小说,是古代英雄传奇小说的典范作品。数百年来,它一直深受我国人民、乃至世界人民的喜爱。
  • 浅凤长歌

    浅凤长歌

    (本书暂停更新,新书《丞相大人赖上门》已发,求支持)沐轻歌男装的时候,九王爷不知道该拿她怎么办。等知道沐轻歌是女子的时候,九王爷依然不知道该拿她怎么办。因为某个家伙太喜欢招蜂引蝶,红颜、蓝颜一大堆,惹得他时时刻刻都要防着她哪天会被哪个小婊砸给拐跑。
  • 前妻的男人

    前妻的男人

    【推荐小鱼的新文,其他作品《妻子的新欢》,《前妻的男人》姐妹篇哦!】看过某电影之后,突然发现,这世上最可怕的情敌不是别人,而是自己身边的闺蜜。--题记余归晚怎么也没有想到,自己的闺蜜竟然会替她把老公照顾的那么好。当闺蜜挺着肚子来找她的时候,余归晚二话不说直接给了她一巴掌,冷笑道:“凌薇,他要是想娶你的话,让他亲自来跟我说。”离婚,对余归晚来说一个不小的打击,但是却让她知道一个真理,男人爱你的时候,你是宝,不爱你的时候,你就是路边的一根野草。遇上莫辰逸是余归晚生命中最大的一个意外,在她最潦倒的时候,他将她收留了。余归晚说:辰逸,易扬的背叛让我不再相信爱情,也让我以为自己失去了再爱一个人的能力,可是当遇见你的时候,我知道自己无法逃避,我愿意倾尽我的一生再爱你一次。莫辰逸:晚晚,我也曾经爱过一个女人,爱到忘记了自己是谁,一直到后来,我才知道,真正爱一个人是不管她身在何处,我的心都会随着她离开。有人说,他们的爱就是一场追逐的游戏,他追,她跑,他停下来的时候,她却反追他……在这个爱情里没有风花雪月,有的只是他们彼此的一颗真心。
  • 灵褚篆

    灵褚篆

    自小中毒无法修炼的徐景言遭人嫌弃,被冠名扫把星……后受上古灵魂相助,身为器,魂为灵,炼鼎化灵褚,四域八荒为其沉浮,灵褚大地谁可针锋?转变不凡人生,是天定亦或是人定?是阴谋亦或是正气?何谓,男儿热血护心头,我心向阳,光明亦或是黑暗,由我主宰。
  • 天才邪医

    天才邪医

    偶得未来传承,觉醒第三只眼;修补基因缺陷,开启潜能进化。了悟阴阳之气,成就天目神医;行于真善美间,逍遥红尘之外。---1.确保质量,每天保底2更,月票加更。求订阅、月票、推荐支持,感激不尽。2.群64537585、22240971、186494501欢迎加入。
  • 无量寿经连义述文赞

    无量寿经连义述文赞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 英文疑难详解

    英文疑难详解

    《英文疑难详解》采用问答模式,对读者提出的英语疑难问题进行详细的解答,具有极强的针对性、实用性。书中将200个问题分为13大项,从各种词类的使用方法上升到语法及表达方式,再到中英语言差异和成语研究等语言的文化层面,有利于读者由浅及深地学习。虽然作者针对的是具体问题进行解答,但每一个问题都会举出大量的例句,穷尽问题所涉及知识点的方方面面,填补读者的知识鸿沟。
  • 智商潜能激发(婴幼儿0-1岁)

    智商潜能激发(婴幼儿0-1岁)

    本书介绍了0~1岁婴儿智商和潜能开发的方法,包括:婴儿智能开发、胎教影响胎儿智能、充足的营养培育婴儿智能、婴儿智力潜能开发游戏等。