e one suggested that the liver of a monkey would be a specific
for the royal sickness, and it was resolved to try it. The tortoise, who
was the Queen's messenger, because he could live on both land and water,
swim or crawl, was summoned. He was told to go upon earth to a certain
mountain, catch a monkey and bring him alive to the Under-world.

Off started the tortoise on his journey to the earth, and going to a
mountain where the monkeys lived, squatted down at the foot of a tree and
pretended to be asleep though keeping his claws and tail out. There he
waited patiently, well knowing that curiosity and the monkey's love of
tricks would bring one within reach of his talons. Pretty soon, a family
of chattering monkeys came running along among the branches overhead,
when suddenly a young _saru_ (monkey) caught sight of the sleeping
tortoise.

"_Naru hodo_" (Is it possible?) said the long-handed fellow, "here's fun;
let's tickle the old fellow's back and pull his tail."

All agreed, and forthwith a dozen monkeys, joining hand over hand, made a
long ladder of themselves until they just reached the tortoise's back.
(They didn't use their tails, for Japanese monkeys have none, except
stumps two inches long). However, he who was to be the tail end of this
living rope, when all was ready, crawled along and slipped over the whole
line, whispering as he slid:

"'Sh! don't chatter or laugh, you'll wake the old fellow up."

Now the monkey expected to hold on the living pendulum by one long hand,
and swinging down with the other, to pull the tortoise's tail, and see
how near he could come to his snout without being snapped up. For a
monkey well knew that a tortoise could neither jump off its legs nor
climb a tree.

Once! Twice! The monkey pendulum swung back and forth without touching.

Three! Four! The monkey's finger-nails scratched the tortoise's back. Yet
old Hard Shell pretended to be sound asleep.

Five! Six! The monkey caught hold of the tortoise's tail and jerked it
hard. Old Tortoise now moved out its head a little, as if still only half
awake.

Seven! Eight! This time the monkey intended to pull the tortoise's head,
when just as he came within reach, the tortoise snapped him, held him in
his claws, and as the monkey pendulum swung back he lost his hold. In an
instant he was jerked loose, and fell head-foremost to the ground, half
stunned.

Frightened at the loss of their end link, the other monkeys of the chain