p
of the man. Not knowing what he did, the monkey hit out, first with one
hand and then with the other, and when he found that he was literally
bound hand and foot, he became so mad with anger and terror that in his
struggles he fell to the ground, dragging the figure after him. This
freed his hands and feet, but besides the shock of the fall, they had
tumbled into a bed of thorns, and he limped away broken and bruised,
and groaning loudly; for when monkeys ARE hurt, they take pains that
everybody shall know it.

It was a long time before Jack was well enough to go about again; but
when he did, he had an encounter with his old enemy the puma. And this
was how it came about.

One day the puma invited his friend the stag to go with him and see a
comrade, who was famous for the good milk he got from his cows. The stag
loved milk, and gladly accepted the invitation, and when the sun began
to get a little low the two started on their walk. On the way they
arrived on the banks of a river, and as there were no bridges in those
days it was necessary to swim across it. The stag was not fond of
swimming, and began to say that he was tired, and thought that after
all it was not worth going so far to get milk, and that he would return
home. But the puma easily saw through these excuses, and laughed at him.

'The river is not deep at all,' he said; 'why, you will never be off
your feet. Come, pluck up your courage and follow me.'

The stag was afraid of the river; still, he was much more afraid of
being laughed at, and he plunged in after the puma; but in an instant
the current had swept him away, and if it had not borne him by accident
to a shallow place on the opposite side, where he managed to scramble up
the bank, he would certainly have been drowned. As it was, he scrambled
out, shaking with terror, and found the puma waiting for him. 'You had a
narrow escape that time,' said the puma.

After resting for a few minutes, to let the stag recover from his
fright, they went on their way till they came to a grove of bananas.

'They look very good,' observed the puma with a longing glance, 'and I
am sure you must be hungry, friend stag? Suppose you were to climb the
tree and get some. You shall eat the green ones, they are the best and
sweetest; and you can throw the yellow ones down to me. I dare say they
will do quite well!' The stag did as he was bid, though, not being used
to climbing, it gave him a deal of trouble and sore