the King! It is
just like the inside of any other man, only not so honest!"

The King became like a walking musical-box, and he did not like it at
all, but it was his own fault. Wherever he went, everybody heard the
Thrush crying out from inside the King, "Just like any other man, only
not so honest!" Everybody that heard this began to despise the King.

At last the King could stand it no longer. He sent for his doctor, and
said, "Doctor, you must cut this talking bird out of me."

"Your majesty will die, if I do," said the Doctor.

"I shall die if you don't," answered the King, "for I cannot endure
being made a fool of."

So there was nothing for it: the Doctor took his
knives, and made a hole in the King, and pulled out the
Thrush. Strange to say, the pieces of the Thrush had all
joined together again, and away she flew; but her beautiful
clothes were all gone. However, it was a lesson she
never forgot; and after that, she slept soft in her nest
of cotton, and never again tried to ape her betters. As
for the King, he died; and a good riddance too.
His son became king in his stead; and all
life long he remembered his father's
miserable death, and kept all his
promises to men, and beasts,
and birds.

The Rabbit and the Monkey

ONCE upon a time, there lived in the mountains a Rabbit and a Monkey,
who were great friends. One day, as they sat by the roadside hobnobbing
together, who should come by but a man with a bamboo pole over his
shoulder, and at each end of the pole was a bundle hung to a string; and
there were plantains in one bundle, and sugar in the other.

Said the Monkey to the Rabbit, "Friend of my heart, do as I shall tell
you. Go and sit upon the road in front of that man, and as soon as he
sees you, run--he is sure to drop his load and follow. Then I will pick
up his load, and hide it safely; and when you come back, we will share
it together."

No sooner said than done: the Rabbit ran, and the man dropped his burden
and ran after him; while the Monkey, who had been hiding in the tall
grass by the wayside, pounced upon the sugar and the plantains, and
climbed up into a tree, and began to gobble them up at his leisure.

By-and-by the man came back, hot and empty-handed, and finding that his
goods were gone as well as the Rabbit, cursed loudly, and went home to