JAPANESE FAIRY TALE SERIES. No. 3
BATTLE OF
The MONKEY & The CRAB
Griffith, Farran & Co.,
London.
Kobunsha
Tokyo
All Rights Reserved.
BATTLE
OF
THE MONKEY & THE CRAB.
A monkey and a crab once met when going round a mountain.
The monkey had picked up a persimmon-seed, and the crab had a pieceof toasted rice-cake. The monkey seeing this, and wishing to getsomething that could be turned to good account at once, said:"Pray, exchange that rice-cake for this persimmon-seed." The crab,without a word, gave up his cake, and took the persimmon-seed andplanted it. At once it sprung up, and soon became a tree so highone had to look up at it. The tree was full of persimmons but thecrab had no means of climbing the tree. So he asked the monkey toclimb up and get the persimmons for him. The monkey got up on alimb of the tree and began to eat the persimmons. The unripepersimmons he threw at the crab, but all the ripe and good oneshe put in his pouch. The crab under the tree thus got his shellbadly bruised and only by good luck escaped into his hole, where helay distressed with pain and not able to get up. Now when therelatives and household of the crab heard how matters stood theywere surprised and angry, and declared war and attacked themonkey, who leading forth a numerous following bid defiance to theother party. The crabs, finding themselves unable to meet andcope with this force, became still more exasperated and enraged,and retreated into their hole, and held a council of war.
Then came a rice-mortar, a pounder, a bee, and an egg, and togetherthey devised a deep-laid plot to be avenged.
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