papa-a-a-a!" Here her voice
choked with sobs, and she could say no more.

[Illustration]

Well, of course the Dragon King did not like to have it thought that
he was unkind to his beautiful young wife. So he sent for his trusty
servant the Jelly-Fish, and said: "It is rather a difficult job; but
what I want you to try to do is to swim across to the land, and
persuade a live Monkey to come here with you. In order to make the
Monkey willing to come, you can tell him how much nicer everything
is here in Dragon-Land than away where he lives. But what I really
want him for is to cut out his liver, and use it as medicine for your
young Mistress, who, as you know, is dangerously ill."

[Illustration]

So the Jelly-Fish went off on his strange errand. In those days he was
just like any other fish, with eyes, and fins, and a tail. He even had
little feet, which made him able to walk on the land as well as to swim
in the water. It did not take him many hours to swim across to the
country where the Monkeys lived; and fortunately there just happened to
be a fine Monkey skipping about among the branches of the trees near
the place where the Jelly-Fish landed. So the Jelly-Fish said: "Mr.
Monkey! I have come to tell you of a country far more beautiful than
this. It lies beyond the waves, and is called Dragon-Land. There is
pleasant weather there all the year round, there is always plenty of
ripe fruit on the trees, and there are none of those mischievous
creatures called Men. If you will come with me, I will take you there.
Just get on my back."

[Illustration]

The Monkey thought it would be fun to see a new country. So he leapt on
to the Jelly-Fish's back, and off they started across the water. But
when they had gone about half-way, he began to fear that perhaps there
might be some hidden danger. It seemed so odd to be fetched suddenly in
that way by a stranger. So he said to the Jelly-Fish: "What made you
think of coming for me?" The Jelly-Fish answered: "My Master, the King
of the Dragons, wants you in order to cut out your liver, and give it
as medicine to his wife, the Queen, who is sick."

[Illustration]

"Oh! that's your little game,--is it?" thought the Monkey. But he kept
his thoughts to himself and only said: "Nothing could please me better
than to be of service to Their Majesties. But it so happens that I left
my liver hanging to a branch of that big chestnut-tree, which you found
me skipping about on. A liver