get them for you myself. I am no tree-climber.'

'Pray do not apologise,' answered the monkey. 'Now that I have
your permission I can get them myself quite easily.' And the crab
consented to let him go up, merely saying that he must throw her
down half the fruit.

In another moment he was swinging himself from branch to branch,
eating all the ripest kakis and filling his pockets with the rest, and
the poor crab saw to her disgust that the few he threw down to her
were either not ripe at all or else quite rotten.

'You are a shocking rogue,' she called in a rage; but the monkey
took no notice, and went on eating as fast as he could. The crab
understood that it was no use her scolding, so she resolved to try
what cunning would do.

'Sir Monkey,' she said, ' you are certainly a very good climber, but
now that you have eaten so much, I am quite sure you would never
be able to turn one of your somersaults.' The monkey prided
himself on turning better somersaults than any of his family, so he
instantly went head over heels three times on the bough on which
he was sitting, and all the beautiful kakis that he had in his pockets
rolled to the ground. Quick as lightning the crab picked them up
and carried a quantity of them into her house, but when she came
up for another the monkey sprang on her, and treated her so badly
that he left her for dead. When he had beaten her till his arm ached
he went his way.

It was a lucky thing for the poor crab that she had some friends to