better than a mortar to make curds in," said
the Monkey, offering the pot which he had received from the little Boy.

"Thank you, kind Mr. Monkey," said the Cowherd's wife. She took the pot
and made curds in it. She took out the curds from the pot, and put them
ready for eating, and some butter beside them. The Monkey watched her,
sitting upon his tail.

Then the Monkey got up off his tail, and began to dance and cut capers
round the curds and the butter.

"Why are you dancing about my butter?" said the Cowherd's wife. "Do you
want to spoil it?"

Then the Monkey began to sing, as he capered about--

"One old Woman, in a fix,
Made me go and gather sticks;
Then she gave me, for the sake
Of the fuel, one sweet cake.
Potter's son ate that, and he
Gave a pot instead to me.
Since to you I gave that pot,
Give me butter, will you not?"

The wife of the Cowherd was much pleased with this song, as she was fond
of music. "If your kindness," said she, "had not already earned the
butter, your pretty song would be worth it." Then she gave him a good
lump of butter.

Off went the Monkey in high glee, capering along with the lump of butter
wrapped up in a leaf. As he went, he came to another place, where a
Cowherd was grazing his kine. The Cowherd was sitting down at that
moment, and enjoying his dinner, which consisted of a hunk of dry bread.

"Why do you eat dry bread, Mr. Cowherd?" asked the Monkey. "Are you
fasting?"

"I am eating dry bread," quoth the Cowherd, "because I have nothing to
eat with it."

"What do you say to this?" said the Monkey, cutting a caper, and
offering to the Cowherd his lump of butter, wrapped up in a leaf.

"Ah," said the Cowherd, "prime." Not another word said he, but spread
the butter upon his dry bread, and set to, with much relish.

The Monkey sat on his tail, and watched the Cowherd eating his meal.
When the meal was eaten, up jumped the Monkey, and began capering and
dancing, hopping and skipping, round and round the herd of kine.

"Ah," said the Bumpkin, "what are you a-doing that for?" The Bumpkin was
so ignorant that he thought the Monkey wanted to bewitch his cattle, and
dry up all their milk.

The Monkey went on with his skips and capers, and as he capered, he sang
this ditty:--

"One old Woman, in a fix,
Made me go and get her sticks;
Then she gave me, for the sak