The Monkey and the Tortoise - Page 4 of 6
As told in English and Illustrated by José Rizal
Original text in English with sketches
As soon as the monkey saw the bright yellow fruits hanging between the large green leaves, he climbed up and began
plundering, munching and gobbling, as quick as he could.
But give me some, too
, said the tortoise, seeing that the monkey did not take the slightest notice of her.
Not even a bit of skin, if it is eatable
, rejoined the monkey, both his cheeks crammed with bananas.
The tortoise meditated revenge. She went to the river, picked up some pointed snails[1] planted them around the banana tree, and hid herself under a cocoa-nut shell. When the monkey came down, he hurt himself and began to bleed.
[1] A kind of spiral periwinkle, called susó in Tagal.