nd they decided
between them that the turtle should take the monkey back to his native
land and allow him to get his liver off the bush, but desired the turtle
not to lose sight of his charge for a single moment. The monkey knew
this, but trusted to his power of beguiling the turtle when the time
came, and mounted on his back with feelings of joy, which he was,
however, careful to conceal. They set out, and in a few hours were
wandering about the forest where the ape had first been caught, and
when the monkey saw his family peering out from the tree tops, he swung
himself up by the nearest branch, just managing to save his hind leg
from being seized by the turtle. He told them all the dreadful things
that had happened to him, and gave a war cry which brought the rest of
the tribe from the neighbouring hills. At a word from him they rushed
in a body to the unfortunate turtle, threw him on his back, and tore off
the shield that covered his body. Then with mocking words they hunted
him to the shore, and into the sea, which he was only too thankful to
reach alive. Faint and exhausted he entered the queen's palace for the
cold of the water struck upon his naked body, and made him feel ill
and miserable. But wretched though he was, he had to appear before the
queen's advisers and tell them all that had befallen him, and how he had
suffered the monkey to escape. But, as sometimes happens, the turtle was
allowed to go scot-free, and had his shell given back to him, and all
the punishment fell on the poor jelly-fish, who was condemned by the
queen to go shieldless for ever after.

(Japanische Marchen.)

THE HEADLESS DWARFS

There was once a minister who spent his whole time in trying to find
a servant who would undertake to ring the church bells at midnight, in
addition to all his other duties.

Of course it was not everyone who cared to get up in the middle of the
night, when he had been working hard all day; still, a good many had
agreed to do it. But the strange thing was that no sooner had the
servant set forth to perform his task than he disappeared, as if the
earth had swallowed him up. No bells were rung, and no ringer ever came
back. The minister did his best to keep the matter secret, but it leaked
out for all that, and the end of it was that no one would enter his
service. Indeed, there were even those who whispered that the minister
himself had murdered the missing men!

It was to no purpose that Sunday af