ome to my house to-morrow at four
o'clock and I'll pay you back then." The tiger gave the monkey some
meal.

The monkey went home and made a great pot of porridge. He feasted and
feasted until he couldn't eat any more, but there was still plenty of
porridge left in the pot. Then the monkey made his bed and took care
to fix it high up from the floor.

The next day, at midday, he ate some more of the porridge. Then he
bound a cloth about his head and went to bed pretending that he was
sick.

At one o'clock the hen came and knocked at the door. The monkey in a
low, weak voice asked her to enter. He told her how very sick he was
and the hen was very sorry for him.

At two o'clock the fox came and knocked at the door. The hen was
frightened almost to death. "Never mind," said the monkey, "you can
hide here under my bed."

The hen hid under the monkey's bed and the monkey in a weak, low voice
invited the fox to enter. The monkey told the fox how very ill he was
and the fox was very sorry for him.

At three o'clock the dog came and knocked at the door. The fox was
frightened almost to death. "Never mind," said the monkey; "hide here
under my bed and everything will be all right."

The fox hid under the monkey's bed and the monkey, in a low, weak
voice, invited the dog to enter. The monkey told the dog how very sick
he was and the dog was very sorry for him.

At four the tiger came and knocked at the door. The dog was frightened
almost to death. "Never mind," said the monkey. "Hide here under my
bed and everything will be all right."

The dog hid under the monkey's bed. Then the monkey invited the tiger
to enter. He told, the tiger how very sick he was but the tiger was
not at all sorry for him. He sprang at the bed, demanding in a loud,
fierce voice that the monkey pay back the meal at once, as he had
promised to do. The monkey escaped to the tree tops, but the bed broke
down under the tiger's weight.

Then the fox ate up the hen and the dog ate up the fox and the tiger
ate up the dog. The tiger is still trying to catch the monkey.

XII

Why the Bananas Belong to

the Monkey

Perhaps you do not know it, but the monkeys think that all the bananas
belong to them. When Brazilian children eat bananas they say, "I am a
monkey." I once knew a little boy in Brazil who was very, very fond of
bananas. He always said, "I am _very much_ of a monkey." If you are
fond of bananas the Brazilian children would tell