.

"Ah, that must be the other ear of course," Monkey answered.

But as the fire grew hotter and the heat increased within there were a
great many of these sounds heard, at which Monkey laughed gleefully and
cried:

"Ah ha! do you hear? Dog is splitting to pieces now. Oh, he is burning
up finely; every bone in his body is cracking. Ah, but it is a cruel
death, though, is it not?"

"Let him die," fiercely cried Leopardess. "He killed one of my young
cubs--one of the loveliest little fellows you ever saw."

Both Leopardess and Monkey remained at the burrow until the fire had
completely died out, then the first said:

"Now, Monkey, bring me a long stick with a hook at the end of it, that I
may rake Dog's bones out and feast my eyes upon them."

Monkey hastened to procure the stick, with which the embers were raked
out, when Leopardess exclaimed:

"What a queer smell this is! It is not at all like what one would
expect from a burnt dog."

"Ah," replied Monkey, "Dog must be completely burnt by this. Of that
there can be no doubt. Did you ever burn a dog before that you know the
smell of its burnt body so well?"

"No," said the Leopardess; "but this is not like the smell of roast
meat. Rake out all the ashes that I may see the bones and satisfy
myself."

Monkey, compelled to do as he was commanded, put in his stick, and drew
out several half-baked nuts, the shells of which were cracked and gaping
open. These Leopardess no sooner saw than she seized Monkey, and
furiously cried:

"You wretch, you have deceived and trifled with me! You have permitted
the murderer of my cub to escape, and your life shall now be the forfeit
for his."

"Pardon, mighty Leopardess, but let me ask how do you propose to slay
me?"

"Why, miserable slave, how else should I kill you but with one scratch
of my claws?"

"Nay, then, great Queen, my blood will fall on your head and smother
you. It is better for yourself that you should toss me up above that
thorny bough, so that when I fall upon it the thorns may penetrate my
heart and kill me."

No sooner had Monkey ended, than fierce Leopardess tossed Monkey upward
as he had directed; but the latter seized the bough and sat up, and from
this he sprang upward into another still higher, and thence from branch
to branch and from tree to tree until he was safe from all possible
pursuit.

Leopardess perceived that another of her intended victims had escaped,
and was furious wi