Page:Folk Tales from Tibet (1906).djvu/181

Rh "It is quite time," thought she, "that he should return to his wife and family, instead of amusing himself with a vulgar Monkey in the forest."

So she sent the boy back again to his father, with a message to say that Mrs. Tortoise was very ill, and that her physician had told her that the only thing to cure her was a Monkey's heart. So he must return at once to his home and bring a Monkey along with him.

The young Tortoise accordingly proceeded to hunt out his father again, and as soon as he met him he gave him Mrs. Tortoise's message. On hearing the news of his wife's illness, Mr. Tortoise became much alarmed, and reproached himself for having stayed away for so long; and in order to secure the necessary medicine for his wife he informed his friend the Monkey that he was obliged to return home at once on urgent business, and he invited the Monkey to come and spend a few days at his house. The Monkey accepted his friend's invitation, and the two set off together to the shores of the lake.

When the Monkey understood that it would be necessary for him to enter the lake, he became rather alarmed, and remarked to the Tortoise that never having been in the water, he was afraid it would be difficult for him to reach the Tortoise's home.

"Never fear about that, Brother Monkey," said the Tortoise; "I can arrange that quite simply. If you will mount upon my back, I will swim with you wherever we want to go."

So the Monkey mounted upon the Tortoise's back, and the Tortoise set out to swim to his house.