Oh! madam! ‘Young man,’ said the ogre (for such was the stranger), ‘you have been a good son, and you deserve the piece of luck which has befallen you this day. Then one of the mice jumped on the cat's head. He had ridden back along a winding road from which he did not see the palace till he was close upon it, and stood horrified at the spectacle before him.
About midnight the cat, who was still sleeping before the gate, was awakened by some water flung at her by the head rat, who could not make up his mind to open the doors. So the young man stepped bravely into the lake, and felt himself sinking, sinking, till he reached firm ground at last. No other lady would have jewels like those–of that the princess was quite sure; but she cast down her eyes so that the ogre might not see how much she longed for them.
At that instant her frightened ladies came running down the stairs, crying: ‘Madam! There are many stories and superstitions about cats. ‘Shut your eyes, then,’ said the stone; and he shut them, and when he opened them again there was the palace, more beautiful than anything he could have imagined, the fires throwing a soft pink glow over the ice. 0000012222 00000 n ‘Dear me,’ said the cat, opening her eyes for the first time, ‘that looks to me very like a rat city down there, let us go down to it; they may be able to help us.’ So they alighted in some bushes in the heart of the rat city. 0000009386 00000 n ‘You have betrayed me and ruined me,’ he said sternly; ‘I go to seek my fortune alone.’ And without another word he turned and left her.
The Clever Monkey is a classic folktale from West Africa told by Rob Cleveland. Already a member? 0000008721 00000 n ‘No, I got it, and I will keep it,’ answered the cat, who was tired and cross; and they began a fine quarrel. ‘I am going to fill up all the river, so that the fishes may die.’, ‘That is very unkind, as we have never done you any harm,’ replied the fish. 0000166777 00000 n ‘But I was thinking of you all the time,’ said he at the end, ‘and wishing that I could bring you back something you would like. So bewildered was I, and so dazzled with the splendours of everything I saw, that I stood like a statue, unable to move. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./*
‘Don’t you know me, mother?’ he said with a laugh. Their greed ends up leaving them with much less than what they started with because a very clever monkey used their greed against them and by the end of the story, he is the one who has the last laugh. With his falcon on his wrist, and his greyhound and cat behind him, the young man walked a long way, inquiring of everyone he met whether they had seen his enemy the ogre. The fish swam as fast as he could to the sea, which was not far distant, and calling together all his relations who lived in the neighbourhood, he told them of the terrible danger which threatened the dwellers in the river.
The young man did not answer at first; then he said, slowly: ‘I have promised, and therefore I must perform. No sooner had he gone, than the ogre who had been watching his chance for many days, knocked at the door of the palace.
The princess was a little startled by his manner, and began to be sorry that she had every listened to the ogre.
Then hearing steps approaching I got frightened, and called to you, as you know.’. All Rights Reserved. I have heard that it is in your husband’s possession, and if you can get me that stone you shall have any of these jewels that you choose. Sign in. 0000004394 00000 n Near the hut was a small barn in which he kept the produce of the little patch of corn, which grew close to the garden. Or Create a free Fairytalez account in less than a minute. The palace is disappearing under our eyes!’, ‘My husband will be home very soon,’ answered the princess–who, though nearly as much frightened as her ladies, felt that she must set them a good example. This timeless folktale shares valuable life lessons in character values about sharing by overcoming greed, being resourceful, and learning how to judge who is trustworthy and who isn’t.