Years and years ago at the very beginning of time , when the world had just been made , there was no night . It was day all the time . No one had ever heard of sunrise or sunset , starlight or moonbeams . There were no night birds , nor night beasts , nor night flowers . There were no lengthening shadows , nor soft night air , heavy with perfume . In those days the daughter of the Great Sea Serpent , who dwelt in the depths of the seas , married one of the sons of the great earth race known as Man . She left her home among the shades of the deep seas and came to dwell with her husband in the land of daylight . Her eyes grew weary of the bright sunlight and her beauty faded . Her husband watched her with sad eyes , but he did not know what to do to help her . Her husband at once called his three most faithful slaves . " I am about to send you on a journey , " he told them . " You are to go to the kingdom of the Great Sea Serpent who dwells in the depths of the seas and ask him to give you some of the darkness of night that his daughter may not die here amid the sunlight of our earth land . " The three slaves set forth for the kingdom of the Great Sea Serpent . After a long dangerous journey they arrived at his home in the depths of the seas and asked him to give them some of the shadows of night to carry back to the earth land . The Great Sea Serpent gave them a big bag full at once . It was securely fastened and the Great Sea Serpent warned them not to open it until they were once more in the presence of his daughter , their mistress . The three slaves started out , bearing the big bag full of night upon their heads . Soon they heard strange sounds within the bag . It was the sound of the voices of all the night beasts , all the night birds , and all the night insects . If you have ever heard the night chorus from the jungles on the banks of the rivers you will know how it sounded . The three slaves had never heard sounds like those in all their lives . They were terribly frightened . Accordingly they laid the bag on the ground and opened it . Out rushed all the night beasts and all the night birds and all the night insects and out rushed the great black cloud of night . The slaves were more frightened than ever at the darkness and escaped to the jungle . The daughter of the Great Sea Serpent was waiting anxiously for the return of the slaves with the bag full of night . Ever since they had started out on their journey she had looked for their return , shading her eyes with her hand and gazing away off at the horizon , hoping with all her heart that they would hasten to bring the night . In that position she was standing under a royal palm tree , when the three slaves opened the bag and let night escape . " Night comes . Night comes at last , " she cried , as she saw the clouds of night upon the horizon . Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep there under the royal palm tree . When she awoke she felt greatly refreshed . She was once more the happy princess who had left her father 's kingdom in the depths of the great seas to come to the earth land . She was now ready to see the day again . She looked up at the bright star shining above the royal palm tree and said , " O , bright beautiful star , henceforth you shall be called the morning star and you shall herald the approach of day . You shall reign queen of the sky at this hour . " Then she called all the birds about her and said to them , " O , wonderful , sweet singing birds , henceforth I command you to sing your sweetest songs at this hour to herald the approach of day . " The cock was standing by her side . " You , " she said to him , " shall be appointed the watchman of the night . Your voice shall mark the watches of the night and shall warn the others that the madrugada comes . " To this very day in Brazil we call the early morning the madrugada . The cock announces its approach to the waiting birds . The birds sing their sweetest songs at that hour and the morning star reigns in the sky as queen of the madrugada . " O , faithless slaves , " said their master , " why did you not obey the voice of the Great Sea Serpent and open the bag only in the presence of his daughter , your mistress ? Because of your disobedience I shall change you into monkeys . Henceforth you shall live in the trees . Your lips shall always bear the mark of the sealing wax which sealed the bag full of night . " It was very pleasant out in the country . It was summer time , the corn was yellow , the oats green , the hay was stacked down in the green meadows , and there the stork walked about on his long red legs and talked Egyptian . He had learnt the language from his mother . Round the fields and meadows there were large woods and within them deep lakes : indeed , it was pleasant out in the country . Full in the sunshine , an old manor house stood , surrounded by a deep moat , and from the base of the walls right down to the water great dock plants grew - so tall that a little child could stand upright under the largest of them . It was as lonely in among them as in the thickest wood ; and there a Duck was sitting on her nest . She had got to hatch out her little Ducklings , but by this time she was well nigh tired out , they took so long about it , and she had very few callers . The other Ducks preferred swimming about the moat to coming up and sitting under a dock - leaf to chat with her . " Do you suppose this is all the world ? " said their mother ; " why , it stretches out far beyond the other side of the garden , right into the parson 's field - but I 've never been there . You 're all there , I suppose ? " and she got up . " No , that 's not all ; there lies the biggest egg still . How long will it take ? I 'm really almost sick of it , " and with that she sat down again . " Well , how goes it ? " asked an elderly Duck who came to call on her . " Oh , this one egg takes a dreadful long time , " said the sitting Duck ; " it won 't break . But just you look at the others ! They are the sweetest Ducklings I 've ever seen ; they 're all just like their wretch of a father , who never comes to see me . " " Let me look at the egg that won 't hatch , " said the old Duck ; " you may be sure that 's a turkey 's egg . I was made a fool of once that way , and I had my share of trouble and anxiety with the young ones , I can tell you , for they are afraid of the water . I couldn 't get them to go in ! I quacked and I pecked , but it was no good . Let me see the egg . Ah , yes , that 's a turkey 's egg ; you just let it lie and teach the rest to swim . " " Oh , I 'll just sit on it a bit longer , " said the Duck . " As I 've sat so long , I may as well give it a Whitsun week ! " " Just as you please , " said the old Duck , and walked off . At last the big egg opened . " Pip ! pip ! " said the young one , scrambling out ; he was very big and ugly . The Duck looked at him : " That 's a fearfully big Duckling , that is , " she said . " None of the others look like that . I suppose it can 't be a turkey poult ! Well , we 'll soon see ; into the water he shall go , if I have to kick him out myself . " Next day the weather was perfectly delicious : the sun shone all over the green docks , and the mother Duck and all her family came out , and down to the moat . Splash ! Into the water went she . " Quack , quack ! " she said , and one Duckling after another plumped in . The water went over their heads , but they were up again in a moment and swam beautifully . Their legs worked of themselves , and now they were all out in the water , and even the ugly grey one was swimming with them . " No , no , that 's no turkey , " she said . " Look how nicely he uses his legs , and how well he holds himself up . That 's my own child ! He 's really quite handsome if you look at him properly . Quack , quack ! Come along with me and I 'll take you out into the world and introduce you to the duck - yard , but mind and keep close to me so that nobody can tread on you , and do look out for the cat . " " Look , that 's the way the world goes , " said the mother Duck - her beak watering a little , for she would have liked the eel 's head herself . " Now then , use your legs , " she said ; " mind and look alive , and stoop your necks to the old Duck over there , she 's the most distinguished person here ; she 's of Spanish descent , so she 's something special , and you see she 's got a red rag round her leg . That is an extraordinarily splendid thing , the greatest distinction any duck can have ; it means that people can 't do without her , and she must be recognized by animals and men alike . Now then , look alive ! Don 't turn your toes in ! A duckling that 's properly brought up keeps its legs wide apart , like father and mother . Look here ! Now then ! Make a bow and say quack . " So they did ; but the other ducks round them looked at them and said , quite loud , " Look there ! Now we 've got to have all this mob on the top of us , as if there weren 't enough of us already ; and poof ! what an object that duckling is ! We can 't stand him " ; and a duck rushed at him and bit him in the neck . " That can 't be done , your grace , " said the mother Duck . " He 's not handsome , but he has a really good disposition , and swims as nicely as any of the rest , even better , I venture to say . I believe he will grow handsome , or perhaps in time he will grow even somewhat smaller ; he has lain too long in the egg , and so has not acquired a proper shape . " And she picked at his neck and smoothed him down . " Besides , he 's a drake , " she went on , " so it doesn 't matter quite so much . He has , I believe , a good constitution and will win through in the end . " So they made themselves at home : but the poor Duckling who had come last out of the egg and looked so ugly , was bitten and buffeted and made to look a fool by the hens and the ducks alike . " He 's too big , " they all said ; and the turkey cock , who was born with spurs , and considered himself an emperor on the strength of it , blew himself up like a ship under full sail and went straight at the Duckling , gobbling and getting quite red in the head . The poor Duckling didn 't know where to stay or which way to go , he was so miserable at being ugly and the butt of the whole duck - yard . That was the first day , and as time went on it got worse and worse . The wretched Duckling was chased about by everybody , and even his mother and sisters were nasty to him , and kept saying : " I wish the cat would get you , you ugly devil . " And his mother said : " I wish you 'd get right away " ; and the ducks bit him and the hens pecked him , and the maid who had to feed the creatures kicked at him . So he ran away , and flew over the fence . The little birds in the bushes shot up in the air in a fright . " That 's because I 'm so ugly , " the Duckling thought , and shut his eyes , but ran on all the same , till he got out into the wide marsh where the wild - duck lived ; and there he lay all night , for he was very tired and very unhappy . In the morning the wild - duck flew up and caught sight of their new comrade . " What sort of a chap are you ? " they asked ; and the Duckling turned to this side and that and greeted them as well as he could . " You 're precious ugly , " said the wild - ducks ; " but that doesn 't matter to us as long as you don 't marry into our family . " Poor wretch ! He wasn 't thinking much about marrying , as long as he could be allowed to lie among the reeds , and drink a little marsh water . There he lay two whole days , and then came a pair of wild geese ( or rather wild ganders , for they were both he 's ) : they hadn 't been hatched out very long , and so they were particularly lively . " Here , mate , " they said , " you 're so ugly I quite like you . Will you come along and be a migrant ? Close by in another marsh there 's some sweet pretty wild geese - all young ladies that can say Quack . You 're so ugly you could make your fortune with them . " At that moment there was a Bang ! Bang ! and both the wild geese fell dead among the reeds , and the water was stained blood red . Another bang ! bang ! and whole flights of geese flew up from the reeds , and there was yet another bang ! a great shoot was afoot . The sportsmen were all round the marsh , some even sitting up among the branches of trees that stretched out over the reeds . The blue smoke drifted like clouds , in among the dark stems , and hung far out over the water . The dogs went splash ! splash ! into the mud , and the reeds and rushes swayed hither and thither ; it was terrible for the wretched Duckling , who was bending his neck to get it under his wing , when all at once , close to him , there was a fearful big dog with his tongue hanging right out of his mouth and his eyes shining horribly . He thrust his muzzle right at the Duckling and showed his sharp teeth - and then - splash ! Off he went without seizing him . " Oh , thank goodness , " sighed the Duckling ; " I 'm so ugly , even the dog doesn 't like to bite me ! " But there he lay perfectly still while the duck shots rattled in the reeds and gun after gun banged out . It was well on in the day before all was quiet , but the unhappy bird dared not get up even then . He waited several hours yet , before he looked about him , and then he hurried away from the marsh as fast as ever he could , running over fields and meadows , and such a wind got up that he had hard work to get along . Towards evening he was near a poor little cottage , so crazy was it that it didn 't know which way to tumble down , so it remained standing . The wind howled so fiercely round the Duckling that he had to sit down on his tail to keep facing it , and it grew worse and worse . Then he noticed that one hinge of the door was gone , and it hung so crooked that he could slip indoors through the crack , and so he did . Here lived an old woman with a cat and a hen . The cat , whom she called Sonny , could set up his fur and purr , and also throw out sparks , but for this he had to be stroked backwards . The Hen had very short little legs , and was consequently called " chicky short legs " . She laid good eggs , and the woman was as fond of her as of a child of her own . Next morning the strange Duckling was noticed at once , and the cat began to purr , and the Hen to cluck . " What 's the matter ? " said the old woman , looking all about her . But her sight wasn 't good , so she took the Duckling for a fat duck that had strayed away . " That 's a splendid catch , " she said : " now I can have duck eggs , if only it isn 't a drake ! We must make sure of that . " So the Duckling was taken in on approval for three weeks , but no eggs came . And the Cat said : " Can you put up your fur , or purr , or give out sparks ? No ! Then you 've no call to have an opinion when sensible people are talking . " " What 's the matter with you ? " she asked . " You 've nothing to do , that 's why you get these fancies ; you just lay some eggs , or purr , and they 'll pass off . " " But it is so delicious to float on the water , " said the Duckling ; " so lovely to get it over your head and dive right down to the bottom . " " Oh yes , most delightful , of course ! " said the Hen . " Why , you 're absolutely mad ! Ask the Cat - he 's the cleverest man I know - whether he enjoys floating on the water or diving down ; I say nothing of myself . Why , ask your mistress , the old woman ; there 's no one in the world cleverer than her - do you suppose she wants to go swimming and getting the water over her head ? " " Well , if we don 't understand you , who is going to understand you , pray ? You 'll never be cleverer than the Cat and the woman , to say nothing of me . Don 't give yourself airs , child , but thank your Maker for all the kindness people have done you . Don 't you live in a warm room among company you can learn something from ? But there ! You 're a rubbishy thing , and there 's little entertainment in your company . You may take it from me ! I mean well by you , and I 'm telling you home truths , and that 's how people can see their true friends . Now just do take pains to lay eggs , or learn to purr or else give sparks . " Autumn now came on : the leaves of the wood turned brown and yellow , the wind caught them and made them dance about , and above the sky looked cold , where the clouds hung heavy with hail and snow , and on the fence the raven perched and cried " Caw ! Caw ! " for the mere cold . Indeed , it regularly gave you the shivers to think of it . The unhappy Duckling had a very hard time . One evening , when there was a lovely sunset , a whole flock of beautiful great birds rose out of the bushes . The Duckling had never seen any so handsome . They were brilliantly white , with long supple necks . They were swans , and they uttered a strange sound and spread their splendid long wings and flew far away from the cold region to warmer lands , and unfrozen lakes . They mounted so high , so high that the ugly little Duckling was strangely moved ; he whirled himself round in the water like a wheel , he stretched his neck straight up into the air after them and uttered such a loud cry , so strange , that he was quite frightened at it himself . Oh , he could not forget those beautiful birds , those wonderful birds ! And the moment they were out of sight he dived right down to the bottom of the water , and when he came up again he was almost beside himself . He didn 't know what the birds were called or which way they were flying , but he loved them as he had never loved anything yet . He was not envious of them - how could it enter his mind to wish for such beauty for himself - he would have been happy if even the ducks had let him into their company - poor ugly creature . Early in the morning a labourer came that way , saw him , went on the ice and with his wooden shoe broke it up and carried the Duckling home to his wife , and there he was brought to life again . The children wanted to play with him , but he thought they meant to hurt him , and in his fright he dashed right into the milk - pan and made the milk splash out into the room . The woman screamed and threw up her hands . Then he flew into the butter - tub and after that into the meal - bin and out again . Goodness , what a sight he was ! The woman screamed out and hit at him with the tongs , and the children tumbled over one another trying to catch him , laughing , calling out - by good luck the door stood open , and out he rushed into the bushes , on the new fallen snow , and there he lay almost in a swoon . But it would be too sad to tell of all the hardships and miseries which he had to go through in that hard winter . When the sun began once more to shine out warm and the larks to sing , he was lying among the reeds in the marsh , and it was the beautiful spring . Then all at once he lifted his wings , and they rustled more strongly than before , and bore him swiftly away ; and before he knew it he was in a spacious garden where were apple trees in blossom , and sweet - smelling lilacs hung on long green boughs right down to the winding moat . Oh , it was lovely here , and fresh with spring ; and straight in front of him , out of the shadows , came three beautiful white swans with rustling plumage floating lightly on the water . The Duckling recognized the splendid creatures , and a strange sorrowfulness came over him . " I will fly to them , these royal birds , and they will peck me to death because I , who am so ugly , dare to approach them ; but it doesn 't matter ; it 's better to be killed by them than to be snapped at by the ducks and pecked at by hens and kicked by the servant who looks after the poultry - yard , and suffer all the winter . " So he flew out into the open water and swam towards the stately swans , and they saw him and hastened with swelling plumage to meet him . " Yes , kill me , " the poor creature said , bowing his head down to the water , and waited for death . But what did he see in the clear water ? He beheld his own image , but it was no longer that of a clumsy dark grey bird , ugly and repulsive . He was a swan himself . It really delighted him now to think of all the hardships and adversities he had suffered , now he could rightly discern his good fortune and all the beauty that greeted him . The great swans swam round him and caressed him with their bills . Some little children now came into the garden and threw bread and corn into the water , and the smallest of them cried : " There 's a new one ! " And the others called out in delight : " Yes , there 's a new one come ! " They clapped their hands and danced about and ran to their father and mother . More bread and cake was thrown into the water , and everyone said : " The new one is the handsomest of all ; how young and beautiful he is ! " And the elder swans bowed before him . At that he felt quite ill at ease , and covered his head with his wings , and knew not what to do . He was more than happy , and yet not proud , for a good heart is never puffed up . He thought how persecuted and depressed he had been , yet now he heard everyone saying he was the most beautiful of all beautiful birds . And the lilacs bowed their branches down to the water , and the sun shone warm and pleasant , and his plumage ruffled , and he raised his slender neck , and from his heart he said joyfully : " Such happiness I never dreamed of when I was the Ugly Duckling . Then he said to his beloved , " I must now go and leave you . I give you a ring to remember me by . As soon as I am king , I will return and take you home with me . " After this she took leave of her father , and rode away with them . They rode to the court of her former fiancé , whom she loved so dearly . There she asked if he needed any huntsmen , and if he would take all of them into his service . The king looked at her without recognizing her . Because they were such good - looking fellows , he said , yes , that he would willingly take them , and then they were the king 's twelve huntsmen . " Oh , just have some peas scattered in your antechamber , " answered the lion , " and then you shall soon see . Men have a firm step , and when they walk over the peas , none of them will be moved . On the other hand , girls trip and skip and shuffle their feet , rolling the peas about . " The lion said , " They knew that were going to be put to a test , and acted like they were strong . Just have twelve spinning wheels brought into the antechamber . They will go up to them and admire them . No man would do that . " The twelve huntsmen always accompanied the king hunting , and the longer he knew them , the better he liked them . Now it happened that once when they were out hunting , news came that the king 's bride was approaching . When the true bride heard this , it hurt her so much that it almost broke her heart , and she fainted and fell to the ground . Thinking that something had happened to his dear huntsman , the king ran up to him in order to help him . Pulling the huntsman 's glove off , he saw the ring that he had given to his first fiancée , and when he looked into her face , he recognized her . Then his heart was so touched that he kissed her , and when she opened her eyes he said , " You are mine , and I am yours , and no one in the world can change that . " At last down went the line to the bottom of the water , and when he drew it up , he found a great flounder on the hook . And the flounder said to him , " Fisherman , listen to me ; let me go - I am not a real fish but an enchanted prince . What good shall I be to you if you land me ? I shall not taste well ; so put me back into the water again , and let me swim away . " With that he went in with her , and in the castle was a great hall with a marble pavement , and there were a great many servants who led them through large doors , and the passages were decked with tapestry , and the rooms with golden chairs and tables and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling , and all the rooms had carpets . And the tables were covered with eatables and the best wine for any one who wanted them . And at the back of the house was a great stable - yard for horses and cattle , and carriages of the finest ; besides , there was a splendid large garden with the most beautiful flowers and fine fruit trees , and a pleasance full half a mile long , with deer and oxen and sheep , and everything that heart could wish for . The next morning the wife was awake first , just at the break of day , and she looked out and saw from her bed the beautiful country lying all round . The man took no notice of it , so she poked him in the side with her elbow , and said , " Husband , get up and just look out of the window . Look , just think if we could be king over all this country . Just go to your fish and tell him we should like to be king . " " Now , look here , " said the wife , " I am king , and you are only my husband , so will you go at once ? Go along ! For if he was able to make me king , he is able to make me emperor , and I will and must be emperor , so go along ! " And so off he went as well as he could for fright . And a dreadful storm arose , so that he could hardly keep his feet , and the houses and trees were blown down , and the mountains trembled , and rocks fell in the sea ; the sky was quite black , and it thundered and lightened ; and the waves , crowned with foam , ran mountains high . So he cried out , without being able to hear his own words , A certain chief begat children , three males . One day his councillors assembled . He said he himself wished to see the most skilled among them . There was a huge baobab tree ( near ) the entrance to the chief 's house . He said he wanted them to mount ( their ) horses , ( and ) come ( and ) show their skill , where this baobab tree was . So they mounted their chargers , ( and ) went far away . The eldest galloped ( and ) came , ( and ) thrust that baobab with ( his ) spear . The spear went right through and he followed , passing through the hole made by the spear , with his horse . And he passed on . A great gathering of animals was held : Lion , Tiger , Wolf , Jackal , Elephant , all of them came together . What was to be done ? That was the question . One had this plan , and another had that ; but no plan seemed of value . Good ! Everyone was satisfied and ready to begin instantly , excepting Rabbit , who said , " I will not go and dance . All of you are mad to attempt to get water from the ground by dancing . " The other animals danced and danced , and ultimately danced the water to the surface . How glad they were . Everyone drank as much as he could , but Rabbit did not dance with them . So it was decided that Rabbit should have no water . That evening he proceeded leisurely to the river bed where the dance had been , and drank as much as he wanted . The following morning the animals saw the footprints of Rabbit in the ground , and Rabbit shouted to them : " Aha ! I did have some of the water , and it was most refreshing and tasted fine . " Quickly all the animals were called together . What were they to do ? How were they to get Rabbit in their hands ? All had some means to propose ; the one suggested this , and the other that . Rabbit during the evening came to get a drink . " Ha ! " he chuckled sarcastically , " they are , after all , quite decent . Here they have placed a stone , so now I need not unnecessarily wet my feet . " Rabbit trod with his left foot on the stone , and there it stuck . Tortoise then put his head out . " Ha ! old Tortoise ! And it 's you , is it , that 's holding me . But here I still have another foot . I 'll give you a good clout . " Rabbit gave Tortoise what he said he would with his right fore foot , hard and straight ; and there his foot remained . " I have yet a hind foot , and with it I 'll kick you . " Rabbit drove his bind foot down . This also rested on Tortoise where it struck . Now advice was sought . What should they do with Rabbit ? He certainly must die . But how ? One said , " Behead him " ; another , " Some severe penalty . " Good ! Lion should do it . He stood up , walked to the front , and poor Rabbit was brought to him . Rabbit pleaded and beseeched that he couldn 't die such a miserable death . Lion took Rabbit firmly by the tail and swung him around . The white skin slipped off from Rabbit , and there Lion stood with the white bit of skin and hair in his paw . Rabbit was free . A WHITE MAN , it is said , met Snake upon whom a large stone had fallen and covered her so that she could not rise . The White Man lifted the stone off Snake , but when he had done so , she wanted to bite him . The White Man said , " Stop ! let us both go first to some wise people . " They went to Hyena , and the White Man asked him , " Is it right that Snake should want to bite me , when I helped her as she lay under a stone and could not rise ? " Jackal replied , " I do not believe that Snake could be covered by a stone so she could not rise . Unless I saw it with my two eyes , I would not believe it . Therefore , come let us go and see the place where you say it happened whether it can be true . " Snake did so , and the White Man covered her with the stone ; but although she exerted herself very much , she could not rise . Then the White Man wanted again to release Snake , but Jackal interfered , and said , " Do not lift the stone . She wanted to bite you , therefore she may rise by herself . " HUNGER and want forced Monkey one day to forsake his land and to seek elsewhere among strangers for much - needed work . Bulbs , earth beans , scorpions , insects , and such things were completely exhausted in his own land . But fortunately he received , for the time being , shelter with a great uncle of his , Orang Outang , who lived in another part of the country . They made a good meal together , but instead of Wolf being thankful , jealousy overmastered him and he begged for the bow and arrow . When Monkey refused to give it to him , he thereupon began to threaten him with his greater strength , and so when Jackal passed by , Wolf told him that Monkey had stolen his bow and arrow . After Jackal had heard both of them , he declared himself unqualified to settle the case alone , and he proposed that they bring the matter to the court of Lion , Tiger , and the other animals . In the meantime he declared he would take possession of what had been the cause of their quarrel , so that it would be safe , as he said . But he immediately brought to earth all that was eatable , so there was a long time of slaughter before Monkey and Wolf agreed to have the affair in court . Over and over , quicker and quicker , sounded the tune of " Cockcrow " on the charmed fiddle , until some of the dancers , exhausted , fell down , although still keeping their feet in motion . But Monkey , musician as he was , heard and saw nothing of what had happened around him . With his head placed lovingly against the instrument , and his eyes half closed , he played on , keeping time ever with his foot . A LONG , long time ago there were two countries adjoining each other and one was a little smaller than the other . The king of the farther and bigger country was named Gezongongdu , and the king of the smaller country was named Drashi . The king of the larger country thought he would like to make the smaller country subject to himself . " But first , " he said , " I want to see if their king is very wily and wise . If he isn 't I can conquer him ; but if he is , I shall not attempt it . " He took a mare and a colt that were exactly alike in color and size and asked the king to decide which was mare and which was colt . The head - men came first and looked and looked and couldn 't tell at all . One of them went home and told his wife and she said , " That 's easy , I 'll tell you how to do it . You make a manger and put some grass in it for them . The mother will keep pushing the food over toward the colt . " Sure enough it happened as she said it would , so they were able to answer the king 's first riddle . The next day the king sent a stick shaped the same at both ends and asked them to tell which was the top and which the root . The men all came and looked and looked again , but couldn 't tell . The same head - man told his wife and she said , " That 's easy , throw it into the water and the head will go down stream first and the root will come last . " They did so and the problem was solved for the king that day . Then the king of the larger country sent over two snakes , male and female , and none of the wise men could tell them apart . The head - man again went to his wife and she said , " That 's easy , take a piece of silk and place it near them , the female will think it is nice and soft and she will lie down on it , curl up and go to sleep ; but the male will run away and refuse to sleep . " They did that and it all came true just as she said . So the king of the big country decided he didn 't want to fight the king of the small country , for he was too smart . But the little king knew he had been saved from war and called up his head - man and asked him how he had got all these things right when everybody else had failed . He answered that he didn 't know anything about these things , it was his wife . So the king called the head - man 's wife and gave her many gifts and made her husband chief head - man of his kingdom . Away in the mountains was a narrow road that passed along the side of a deep chasm . It was a dangerous place to travel , and along this path one night , just at dark , when a man , a crow , a rat and a snake were walking along together , a part of the road gave way and they fell into the depths below . They were not hurt , but much shaken , and they sat there waiting and thinking of their plight , wondering how they could get out , or what they could do to keep from starving , when a traveler coming along reached the broken road and looked down and saw them . They all at one time began to clamor and beg to be helped out , so he threw a long rope down to them and drew them all out one after the other . They all professed great gratitude and said they would never forget him and never forget the help he had given them , and that some time they 'd help him . The traveler , in his heart , rather scorned the professions of friendship from the crow , the rat and the snake , and really didn 't believe they could do anything for him , but thought possibly the man might be able to aid him some time . A long time after this had taken place , in the palace of the king , in this far away country , the queen was on the top of the flat roof washing her hair . She took off her jeweled necklace and laid it down near her on a low bench , and when her hair was dry went downstairs and forgot her jewels . Near by in the top of a tree sat the crow who had been rescued by the man a long time ago . He saw the necklace and said , " This will be a good present to give to that man who saved me from the chasm , " so he flew down , picked it up in his bill , flew away with it and took it to the man and told him where he got it . The rescued man , hearing this , went at once to the king and said to him , " The queen 's necklace you will find in the house of such a man , " and gave the name of his rescuer . The king at once sent his men , arrested the traveler and cast him into prison . In that dark old dungeon , with no bed to lie on , the walls dripping moisture , no food to eat , and no friend to bring him any , he was about to starve to death , when the rat he had rescued and who lived there came and asked him how he happened to be in that place . He related the story of his arrest and the ingratitude of the man he had saved and said he was about to starve and would surely die unless help came very soon . The rat went away , entered into the king 's palace , stole the food from his table , carried it to the man in the dungeon and saved him . Now this snake was a magic snake , and making himself into a ghost wound around and around the king 's neck and almost choked him to death . He could be felt but not seen . The king wildly called for his great men , his wise men and his lamas who cast lots and told him that this ghost that was choking him was one of the patron saints of the man in the prison , and if he would loose the prisoner and treat him kindly , his troubles would cease . So he called for the prisoner to be brought before him , gave him much money and many jewels and sent him away speedily . Once upon a time , in the days when the world was young and all animals understood each other 's languages , an old , old tiger named Tsuden went out hunting for some food . As he was creeping quietly along the banks of a stream a frog saw him and was badly scared . He thought , " This tiger is coming to eat me up . " He climbed up on a little bunch of sod and when the tiger came near , called out , " Hello , where are you going ? " The tiger answered , " I am going up into the forest to hunt something to eat . I haven 't had any food for two or three days and I am very weak and hungry . I guess I 'll eat you up . You 're awfully small , but I can 't find anything else . Who are you , anyway ? " The frog replied , swelling up as big as he could , " I am the king of the frogs . I can jump any distance and can do anything . Here 's a river , let 's see who can jump across . " got hold of the end of his tail with his mouth , and when the tiger jumped he was thrown away up the bank across the river . After Tsuden got across he turned around and looked and looked into the river for the frog . But as the tiger turned , the frog let loose of his tail and said , " What are you looking for , old tiger , down there ? " Said the frog , " Now I beat you in that test , let 's try another . Suppose we both vomit . " The tiger being empty could only throw up a little water , but the frog spit up some tiger hair . The tiger much astonished asked , " How do you happen to be able to do that ? " The frog replied , " Oh , yesterday I killed a tiger and ate him , and these are just a few of the hairs that aren 't yet digested . " The tiger began to think to himself , " He must be very strong . Yesterday he killed and ate a tiger , and now he has jumped farther than I did over the river . Guess I 'd better slip away before he eats me . " Then he sidled away a little piece , quickly turned and began to run away as fast as he could , up the mountain . So they tied their tails fast in a lot of knots and went down to see the frog , who still sat on his piece of sod , looking as important as he could . He saw them coming and called out to the fox , " You 're a great fox . You haven 't paid your toll to the king to - day nor brought any meat either . Is that a dog you 've got tied to your tail and are you bringing him for my dinner ? " There was once upon a time a pig who lived with her three children on a large , comfortable , old - fashioned farmyard . The eldest of the little pigs was called Browny , the second Whitey , and the youngest and best looking Blacky . Now Browny was a very dirty little pig , and , I am sorry to say , spent most of his time rolling and wallowing about in the mud . He was never so happy as on a wet day , when the mud in the farmyard got soft , and thick , and slab . Then he would steal away from his mother 's side , and finding the muddiest place in the yard , would roll about in it and thoroughly enjoy himself . Whitey was quite a clever little pig , but she was greedy . She was always thinking of her food , and looking forward to her dinner . And when the farm girl was seen carrying the pails across the yard , she would rise up on her hind legs and dance and caper with excitement . As soon as the food was poured into the trough she jostled Blacky and Browny out of the way in her eagerness to get the best and biggest bits for herself . Her mother often scolded her for her selfishness , and told her that someday she would suffer for being so greedy and grabbing . Blacky was a good , nice little pig , neither dirty nor greedy . He had nice dainty ways ( for a pig ) , and his skin was always as smooth and shining as black satin . He was much cleverer than Browny and Whitey , and his mother 's heart used to swell with pride when she heard the farmer 's friends say to each other that someday the little black fellow would be a prize pig . Now the time came when the mother pig felt old and feeble and near her end . One day she called the three little pigs round her and said , " My children , I feel that I am growing old and weak , and that I shall not live long . Before I die I should like to build a house for each of you , as this dear old sty in which we have lived so happily will be given to a new family of pigs , and you will have to turn out . Now , Browny , what sort of a house would you like to have ? " " Foolish , foolish child ! " said the mother pig , looking quite distressed . " And you , Blacky ? " turning to her youngest son . " What sort of a house shall I order for you ? " " That is a sensible little pig , " replied his mother , looking fondly at him . " I will see that the three houses are got ready at once . And now one last piece of advice . You have heard me talk of our old enemy the fox . When he hears that I am dead , he is sure to try and get hold of you , to carry you off to his den . He is very sly and will no doubt disguise himself , and pretend to be a friend , but you must promise me not to let him enter your houses on any pretext whatever . " " No , no , " replied Browny , " I don 't believe you are a friend . You are the wicked fox , against whom our mother warned us . I won 't let you in . " " Oho ! Is that the way you answer me ? " said the fox , speaking very roughly in his natural voice . " We shall soon see who is master here , " and with his paws he set to work and scraped a large hole in the soft mud walls . A moment later he had jumped through it , and catching Browny by the neck , flung him on his shoulders and trotted off with him to his den . The next day , as Whitey was munching a few leaves of cabbage out of the corner of her house , the fox stole up to her door , determined to carry her off to join her brother in his den . He began speaking to her in the same feigned gentle voice in which he had spoken to Browny . But it frightend her very much when he said , " I am a friend come to visit you , and to have some of your good cabbage for my dinner . " " Please don 't touch it , " cried Whitey in great distress . " The cabbages are the walls of my house , and if you eat them you will make a hole , and the wind and rain will come in and give me a cold . Do go away . I am sure you are not a friend , but our wicked enemy the fox . " The next day the fox started off for Blacky 's house , because he had made up his mind that he would get the three little pigs together in his den , and then kill them , and invite all his friends to a feast . But when he reached the brick house , he found that the door was bolted and barred , so in his sly manner he began , " Do let me in , dear Blacky . I have brought you a present of some eggs that I picked up in a farmyard on my way here . " " No , no , Mister Fox , " replied Blacky . " I am not gong to open my door to you . I know your cunning ways . You have carried off poor Browny and Whitey , but you are not going to get me . " At this the fox was so angry that he dashed with all his force against the wall , and tried to knock it down . But it was too strong and well built . And though the fox scraped and tore at the bricks with his paws , he only hurt himself , and at last he had to give it up , and limp away with his forepaws all bleeding and sore . " Never mind ! " he cried angrily as he went off . " I 'll catch you another day , see if I don 't , and won 't I grind your bones to powder when I have got you in my den ! " And he snarled fiercely and showed his teeth . Next day Blacky had to go into the neighboring town to do some marketing and to buy a big kettle . As he was walking home with it slung over his shoulder , he heard a sound of steps stealthily creeping after him . For a moment his heart stood still with fear , and then a happy thought came to him . He had just reached the top of a hill , and could see his own little house nestling at the foot of it among the trees . In a moment he had snatched the lid off the kettle and had jumped in himself . Coiling himself round , he lay quite snug in the bottom of the kettle , while with his foreleg he managed to put the lid on , so that he was entirely hidden . With a little kick from the inside , he started the kettle off , and down the hill it rolled full tilt . And when the fox came up , all that he saw was a large black kettle spinning over the ground at a great pace . Very much disappointed , he was just going to turn away , when he saw the kettle stop close to the little brick house , and a moment later , Blacky jumped out of it and escaped with the kettle into the housed , when he barred and bolted the door , and put the shutter up over the window . " Oho ! " exclaimed the fox to himself . " You think you will escape me that way , do you ? We shall soon see about that , my friend . " And very quietly and stealthily he prowled round the house looking for some way to climb onto the roof . In the meantime Blacky had filled the kettle with water , and having put it on the fire , sat down quietly waiting for it to boil . Just as the kettle was beginning to sing , and steam to come out of the spout , he heard a sound like a soft , muffled step , patter , patter , patter overhead , and the next moment the fox 's head and forepaws were seen coming down the chimney . But Blacky very wisely had not put the lid on the kettle , and , with a yelp of pain , the fox fell into the boiling water , and before he could escape , Blacky had popped the lid on , and the fox was scalded to death . As soon as he was sure that their wicked enemy was really dead , and could do them no further harm , Blacky started off to rescue Browny and Whitey . As he approached the den he heard piteous grunts and squeals from his poor little brother and sister who lived in constant terror of the fox killing and eating them . But when they saw Blacky appear at the entrance to the den , their joy knew no bounds . He quickly found a sharp stone and cut the cords by which they were tied to a stake in the ground , and then all three started off together for Blacky 's house , where they lived happily ever after . And Browny quite gave up rolling in the mud , and Whitey ceased to be greedy , for they never forgot how nearly these faults had brought them to an untimely end .