“Very well,” replied the monkey; but, instead, he nodded and smiled, and said: “I hope your industry may be rewarded as it deserves.” The men thanked him heartily, let him pass on, and the puma followed behind him. Further along the path they saw the shining snake lying on the moss. “What a lovely necklace for your daughter,” exclaimed the puma. “Pick it up and take it with you.” “You are very kind, but I will leave it for you,” answered the monkey, and nothing more was said about the snake. Not long after this they reached the comrade’s house, and found him just ready to go to bed. So, without stopping to talk, the guests slung their hammocks, the monkey taking care to place his so high that no one could get at him. Besides, he thought it would be more prudent not to fall asleep, so he only lay still and snored loudly. When it was quite dark and no sound was to be heard, the puma crept out to the sheep-fold, killed the sheep, and carried back a bowl full of its blood with which to sprinkle the monkey. But the monkey, who had been watching out of the corner of his eye, waited until the puma drew near, and with a violent kick upset the bowl all over the puma himself. When the puma saw what had happened, he turned in a great hurry to leave the house, but before he could do so, he saw the shepherd coming, and hastily lay down again. “This is the second time I have lost a sheep,” the man said to the monkey; “it will be the worse for the thief when I catch him, I can tell you.” The monkey did not answer, but silently pointed to the puma who was pretending to be asleep. The shepherd stooped and saw the blood, and cried out: “Ah! so it is you, is it? then take that!” and with his stick he gave the puma such a blow on the head that he died then and there. Then the monkey got up and went to the dairy, and drank all the milk he could find. Afterwards he returned home and married, and that is the last we heard of him. [Adapted from Folk-lore Bresilien.] The Knights of the Fish Once upon a time there lived an old cobbler who worked hard at his trade from morning till night, and scarcely gave himself a moment to eat. But, industrious as he was, he could hardly buy bread and cheese for himself and his wife, and they grew thinner and thinner daily. For a long while whey pretended to each other that they had no appetite, and that a few blackberries from the hedges were a great deal nicer than a good strong bowl of soup. But at length there came a day when the cobbler could bear it no longer, and he threw away his last, and borrowing a rod from a neighbour he went out to fish.