y, the grass cutter.

[Told the author by an Indian.]

_TALE OF A TORTOISE AND OF A MISCHIEVOUS MONKEY_

Once upon a time there was a country where the rivers were larger, and
the forests deeper, than anywhere else. Hardly any men came there, and
the wild creatures had it all to themselves, and used to play all
sorts of strange games with each other. The great trees, chained one
to the other by thick flowering plants with bright scarlet or yellow
blossoms, were famous hiding-places for the monkeys, who could wait
unseen, till a puma or an elephant passed by, and then jump on their
backs and go for a ride, swinging themselves up by the creepers when
they had had enough. Near the rivers huge tortoises were to be found,
and though to our eyes a tortoise seems a dull, slow thing, it is
wonderful to think how clever they were, and how often they outwitted
many of their livelier friends.

There was one tortoise in particular that always managed to get the
better of everybody, and many were the tales told in the forest of his
great deeds. They began when he was quite young, and tired of staying
at home with his father and mother. He left them one day, and walked
off in search of adventures. In a wide open space surrounded by trees
he met with an elephant, who was having his supper before taking his
evening bath in the river which ran close by. 'Let us see which of us
two is strongest,' said the young tortoise, marching up to the
elephant. 'Very well,' replied the elephant, much amused at the
impertinence of the little creature; 'when would you like the trial to
be?'

'In an hour's time; I have some business to do first,' answered the
tortoise. And he hastened away as fast as his short legs would carry
him.

In a pool of the river a whale was resting, blowing water into the air
and making a lovely fountain. The tortoise, however, was too young and
too busy to admire such things, and he called to the whale to stop, as
he wanted to speak to him. 'Would you like to try which of us is the
stronger?' said he. The whale looked at him, sent up another fountain,
and answered: 'Oh, yes; certainly. When do you wish to begin? I am
quite ready.'

'Then give me one of your longest bones, and I will fasten it to my
leg. When I give the signal, you must pull, and we will see which can
pull the hardest.'

'Very good,' replied the whale; and he took out one of his bones and
passed it to the tortoise.

The tortoise picked up