Book: Filipino Popular Tales

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"Don't you think that it would be a wise thing for us to get that
banana-stalk and plant it?" said the monkey.

"Can you swim?" replied the turtle.

"No, I can't, but you can," said the monkey.

"I will get the banana-tree," said the turtle, "on condition that
we divide it. You must allow me to have the upper part, where the
leaves are." The monkey agreed; but when the stalk was brought to
shore, the monkey took the leaves himself, and gave the turtle only
the roots. As the humble turtle was unable to fight the monkey, all
he could do was to pick up his share and take it to the woods and
plant it. It was not strange that the monkey's part died, while that
of the turtle brought forth clusters of ripe bananas in time.

When the monkey learned that the bananas were ripe, he went to visit
his friend the turtle. "I will give you half the bananas," said the
turtle, "if you will only climb the stalk and get the fruit for me."

"With great pleasure," replied the monkey. In less than a minute he
was at the top of the tree. There he took his time, eating all he
could, and stopping now and then to throw a banana-peeling down to
his friend below. What could the poor turtle do? It was impossible
for him to climb.

"I know what I'll do!" he said to himself. He gathered pointed sticks,
and set them all around the base of the tree. Then he cried out to the
monkey, saying, "The hunters are coming! The hunters are coming!" The
monkey was very much frightened, so he jumped down in the hope of
escaping; but he was pierced by the sharp sticks, and in a few hours
he died. Thus the turtle got his revenge on the selfish monkey.

When the monkey was dead, the turtle skinned him, dried his meat, and
sold it to the other monkeys in the neighborhood. But, in taking off
the skin, the turtle was very careless: he left here and there parts
of the fur sticking to the meat; and from this fact the monkeys which
had bought the meat judged the turtle guilty of murder of one of their
brethren. So they took the turtle before their chief, and he was tried.

When the turtle's guilt had been established, the monkey-chief ordered
him to be burned.

"Fire does not do me any harm," said the turtle. "Don't you see the
red part on my back? My father has burned me many times."

"Well, if fire doesn't harm him, cut him to pieces," said the
monkey-chief angrily.

"Neither will this punishment have any effect on me," continued the
wise turtle. "My back is full of scars. My father used to cut me over
and over again."

"What can we do with him?" said the foolish monkeys. At last the
brightest fellow in the group said, "We will drown him in the lake."

As soon as the turtle heard this, he felt happy, for he knew that
he would not die in the water, However, he pretended to be very
much afraid, and he implored the monkeys not to throw him into the
lake. But he said to himself, "I have deceived all these foolish
monkeys." Without delay the monkeys took him to the lake and threw
him in. The turtle dived; and then he stuck his head above the surface
of the water, laughing very loud at them.

Thus the turtle's life was saved, because he had used his brains in
devising a means of escape.


The Monkey and the Turtle.

Narrated by Bienvenido Gonzales of Pampanga. He heard the story from
his younger brother, who heard it in turn from a farmer. It is common
in Pampanga.

Once there lived two friends,--a monkey and a turtle. One day they saw
a banana-plant floating on the water. The turtle swam out and brought
it to land. Since it was but a single plant and they had to divide it,
they cut it across the middle.

"I will have the part with the leaves on," said the monkey, thinking
that the top was best. The turtle agreed and was very well pleased, but
she managed to conceal her joy. The monkey planted his part, the top
of the tree; and the turtle planted hers, the roots. The monkey's plant
died; but that of the turtle grew, and in time bore much fine fruit.

One day, since the turtle could not get at the bananas, she asked
the monkey to climb the tree and bring down the bananas. In return
for this service she offered to give him half the fruit. The monkey
clambered up the tree, but he ate all the fruit himself: he did not
give the turtle any. The turtle became very angry, waiting in vain;
so she collected many sharp sticks, and stuck them in the trunk of the
tree. Then she went away. When the monkey slid down to the ground,
he injured himself very badly on the sharp sticks; so he set off to
find the turtle and to revenge himself.

The monkey looked for a long time, but finally found the turtle under
a pepper-plant. As the monkey was about to strike her, she said,
"Keep quiet! I am guarding the king's fruits."

"Give me some!" said the monkey.

"Well, I will; here are some!" said the turtle. "But you must promise
me not to chew them until I am far away; for the king might see you,
and then he would punish me." The monkey agreed. When the turtle was
a long way off, he began to chew the peppers. They were very hot,
and burned his mouth badly. He was now extremely angry, and resolved
that it would go hard with the turtle when he should catch her.

He searched all through the woods and fields for her. At last he
found her near a large snake-hole. The monkey threatened to kill the
turtle; but she said to him, "Friend monkey, do you want to wear the
king's belt?"

"Why, surely! Where is it?" said the monkey.

The turtle replied, "It will come out very soon: watch for it!" As
soon as the snake came out, the monkey caught it; but the snake
rolled itself around his body, and squeezed him nearly to death. He
finally managed to get free of the snake; but he was so badly hurt,
that he swore he would kill the turtle as soon as he should find her.

The turtle hid herself under a cocoanut-shell. The monkey was by this
time very tired, so he sat down on the cocoanut-shell to rest. As he
sat there, he began to call loudly, "Turtle, where are you?"

The turtle answered in a low voice, "Here I am!"

The monkey looked all around him, but he saw nobody. He thought that
some part of his body was joking him. He called the turtle again,
and again the turtle answered him.

The monkey now said to his abdomen, "If you answer again when I don't
call you, stomach, I'll punish you." Once more he called the turtle;
and once more she said, "I am here!"

This was too much for the monkey. He seized a big stone, and began to
hit his belly with it. He injured himself so much, that he finally
died.


The Monkey and the Turtle.

Narrated by José M. Katigbak of Batangas, Batangas. This is a genuine
Tagalog story, he says, which he heard from his friend Angel Reyes.

Once upon a time there was a turtle who was very kind and patient. He
had many friends. Among them was a monkey, who was very selfish. He
always wanted to have the best part of everything.

One day the monkey went to visit the turtle. The monkey asked his
friend to accompany him on a journey to the next village. The turtle
agreed, and they started early the next morning. The monkey did not
take much food with him, because he did not like to carry a heavy
load. The turtle, on the contrary, took a big supply. He advised the
monkey to take more, but the monkey only laughed at him. After they
had been travelling five days, the monkey's food was all gone, so the
turtle had to give him some. The monkey was greedy, and kept asking
for more all the time. "Give me some more, friend turtle!" he said.

"Wait a little while," said the turtle. "We have just finished eating."

As the monkey made no reply, they travelled on. After a few minutes
the monkey stopped, and said, "Can't you travel a little faster?"

"I can't, for I have a very heavy load," said the turtle.

"Give me the load, and then we shall get along more rapidly," said
the monkey. The turtle handed over all his food to the monkey, who
ran away as fast as he could, leaving the turtle far behind.

"Wait for me!" said the turtle, doing his best to catch his friend;
but the monkey only shouted, "Come on!" and scampered out of sight. The
turtle was soon very tired and much out of breath, but he kept on. The
monkey climbed a tree by the roadside, and looked back. When he saw
his friend very far in the rear, he ate some of the food. At last
the turtle came up. He was very hungry, and asked the monkey for
something to eat.

"Come on a little farther," said the selfish monkey. "We will eat
near a place where we can get water." The turtle did not say anything,
but kept plodding on. The monkey ran ahead and did the same thing as
before, but this time he ate all the food.

"Why did you come so late?" said the monkey when the turtle came
up panting.

"Because I am so hungry that I cannot walk fast," answered the
turtle. "Will you give me some food?" he continued.

"There is no more," replied the monkey. "You brought very little. I
ate all there was, and I am still hungry."

As the turtle had no breath to waste, he continued on the road. While
they were on their way, they met a hunter. The monkey saw the hunter
and climbed a tree, but the man caught the turtle and took it home
with him. The monkey laughed at his friend's misfortune. But the
hunter was kind to the turtle: he tied it near a banana-tree, and
gave it food every hour.

One day the monkey happened to pass near the house of the hunter. When
he saw that his friend was tied fast, he sneered at him; but after
he had remained there a few hours, and had seen how the turtle was
fed every hour, he envied the turtle's situation. So when night came,
and the hunter was asleep, the monkey went up to the turtle, and said,
"Let me be in your place."

"No, I like this place," answered the turtle.

The monkey, however, kept urging and begging the turtle, so that
finally the turtle yielded. Then the monkey set the turtle free,
and tied himself to the tree. The turtle went off happy; and the
monkey was so pleased, that he could hardly sleep during the night
for thinking of the food the hunter would give him in the morning.

Early the next morning the hunter woke and looked out of his window. He
caught sight of the monkey, and thought that the animal was stealing
his bananas. So he took his gun and shot him dead. Thus the turtle
became free, and the monkey was killed.

MORAL: Do not be selfish.


Notes.

The story of these two opponents, the monkey and the turtle, is
widespread in the Philippines. In the introduction to a collection
of Bagobo tales which includes a version of this fable, Laura Watson
Benedict says (JAFL 26 [1913] : 14), "The story of 'The Monkey and
the Turtle' is clearly modified from a Spanish source." In this note
I hope to show not only that the story is native in the sense that
it must have existed in the Islands from pre-Spanish times, but also
that the Bagobo version represents a connecting link between the
other Philippine forms and the original source of the whole cycle,
a Buddhistic Jataka. Merely from the number of Philippine versions
already collected, it seems reasonable to suspect that the story is
Malayan: it is found from one end of the Archipelago to the other, and
the wild tribes have versions as well as the civilized. In addition
to our one Tagalog and two Pampangan versions, five other Philippine
forms already exist in print, and may be cited for comparison. These
are the following:--


(d) Bagobo, "The Monkey and the Tortoise" (JAFL 26 : 58).
(e) Visayan, "Ca Matsin and Ca Boo-ug" (JAFL 20 : 316).
(f) Tagalog, "The Monkey and the Turtle" (JAFL 21 : 46).
(g) Tinguian, "The Turtle and the Monkey" (Cole, 195, No. 77).
(k) Tagalog, Rizal's "Monkey and the Turtle." [100]


Before discussing the origin of the story, we may examine the different
incidents found in the Philippine versions. That they vary considerably
may be seen from the following list:--


A The division of the banana-stalk: monkey takes top; and turtle,
roots. Monkey's share dies, turtle's grows or (A1) monkey and turtle
together find banana-tree growing; turtle unable to climb, but monkey
easily gets at the fruit.

B Monkey steals turtle's bananas and will not give him any, or (B1)
sticks banana up his anus and throws it to turtle, or (B2) drops his
excrement into turtle's mouth.

C Turtle, in revenge, plants sharp stakes (or thorns) around base of
the banana-tree; and when monkey descends, he is severely injured,
or (C1) he is killed.

D Turtle sells monkey-flesh to other monkeys; either his trick is
discovered accidentally by the monkeys, or (D1) the turtle jeers them
for eating of their kind.

E Turtle is sentenced to death. He says, "You may burn me or pound me,
but for pity's sake don't drown me!" The monkeys "drown" the turtle,
and he escapes.

F The monkeys attempt to drink all the water in the lake, so as to
reach the turtle: they burst themselves and perish. Or (F1) they
get a fish to drain the pond dry; fish is punctured by a bird, water
rushes out, and monkeys are drowned. Or (F2) monkeys summon all the
other animals to help them drink the lake dry. The animals put leaves
over the ends of their urethras, so that the water will not flow out;
but a bird pecks the leaves away, and the monkeys turn to revenge
themselves on the bird. (F3) They catch him and pluck out all his
feathers; but the bird recovers, and revenges himself as below (G).

G Monkeys and other animals are enticed to a fruit-tree in a meadow,
and are burned to death in a jungle fire kindled by the turtle and
his friend the bird.

H Episode of guarding king's fruit-tree or bread-tree (Chile peppers).

J Episode of guarding king's belt (boa-constrictor).

K Turtle deceives monkey with his answers, so that the monkey thinks
part of his own body is mocking him. Enraged, he strikes himself with
a stone until he dies.

L Turtle captured by hunter gets monkey to exchange places with him
by pointing out the advantages of the situation. Monkey subsequently
shot by the hunter.


These incidents are distributed as follows:


Version (a) ABC1DE
Version (b) ABCHJK
Version (c) (Opening different, but monkey greedy as in B) L
Version (d) A1B2C1D1EF2F3G
Version (e) ABC1DEF1
Version (f) A1BC (glass on trunk of tree) EF (monkey in his rage
leaps after turtle and is drowned)
Version (g) AB1C1 (sharp shells) DEF (monkeys dive in to catch
fish when they see turtle appear with one in his mouth, and are
drowned). Incidents K and a form of J are found in the story of
"The Turtle and the Lizard" (Cole, 196)


The incidents common to most of these versions are some form of
ABCDEF; and these, I think, we must consider as integral parts of the
story. It will be seen that one of our versions (c) properly does not
belong to this cycle at all, except under a very broad definition of
the group. In all these tales the turtle is the injured creature:
he is represented as patient and quiet, but clever. The monkey is
depicted as selfish, mischievous, insolent, but stupid. In general,
although the versions differ in details, they are all the same story,
in that they tell how a monkey insults a turtle which has done him
no harm, and how he finally pays dearly for his insult.

The oldest account I know of, telling of the contests between
the monkey and the turtle, is a Buddhist birth-story, the
"Kacchapa-jataka," No. 273, which narrates how a monkey insulted a
tortoise by thrusting his penis down the sleeping tortoise's throat,
and how the monkey was punished. Although this particular obscene
jest is not found in any of our versions, I think that there is a
trace of it preserved in the Bagobo story. The passage runs thus
(loc. cit. pp. 59-60): "At that all the monkeys were angry [incident
D], and ran screaming to catch the tortoise. But the tortoise hid under
the felled trunk of an old palma brava tree. As each monkey passed
close by the trunk where the tortoise lay concealed, the tortoise said,
'Drag (or lower) your membrum! Here's a felled tree.' Thus every
monkey passed by clear of the trunk, until the last one came by; and
he was both blind and deaf. When he followed the rest, he could not
hear the tortoise call out, and his membrum struck against the fallen
trunk. He stopped, and became aware of the tortoise underneath. Then
he screamed to the rest; and all the monkeys came running back,
and surrounded the tortoise, threatening him." This incident, in its
present form obscure and unreasonable (it is hard to see how following
the tortoise's directions would have saved the monkeys from injury,
and how the blind and deaf monkey "became aware" of the tortoise just
because he hit the tree), probably originally represented the tortoise
as seizing the last monkey with his teeth (present form, "his membrum
struck against the fallen trunk"), so that in this way the monkey
became painfully aware of the tortoise's close proximity. Hence his
screams, too,--of pain. With incident B2 two other Buddhist stories
are to be compared. The "Mahisa-jataka," No. 278, tells how an impudent
monkey voids his excrement on a patient buffalo (the Bodhisatta) under
a tree. The vile monkey is later destroyed when he plays the same
trick on another bull. In the "Kapi-jataka," No. 404, a bad monkey
drops his excrement first on the head and then into the mouth of a
priest, who later takes revenge on the monkey by having him and all
his following of five hundred destroyed. All in all, the agreement
in general outline and in some details between these Hindoo stories
and ours justifies us, I believe, in assuming without hesitation that
our stories are descended directly from Buddhistic fables, possibly
these very Jatakas. Compare also the notes to Nos. 48 and 56.

For a Celebes variant of the story of "The Monkey and the Turtle,"
see Bezemer, p. 287.

The sources of the other incidents, which I have not found in the
Buddhistic stories, I am unable to point out. However, many of them
occur in the beast tales of other Oriental and Occidental countries:
for instance, incident E is a commonplace in "Brer Rabbit" stories
both in Africa and America, whence it has made its way into the tales
of the American Indians (see, for example, Honeÿ, 82; Cole, 195, note;
Dähnhardt, 4 : 43-45); incident J and another droll episode found in
an Ilocano story--"king's bell" (= beehive) motif--occur in a Milanau
tale from Sarawak, Borneo, "The Plandok, Deer, and the Pig" (Roth, 1 :
347), and in two other North Borneo stories given by Evans (p. 474),
"Plandok and Bear" and "Plandok and Tiger." In Malayan stories in
general, the mouse-deer (plandok) is represented as the cleverest
of animals, taking the rôle of the rabbit in African tales, and of
the jackal in Hindoo. In the Ilocano story referred to, both these
incidents--"king's belt" and "king's bell"--are found, though the
rest of the tale belongs to the "Carancal" group (No. 3; see also
No. 4 [b]), Incident L is found among the Negroes of South Africa
(Honeÿ, 84, where the two animals are a monkey and a jackal). With
incident G compare a Tibetan story (Ralston, No. XLII), where men
take counsel as to how to kill a troop of monkeys that are destroying
their corn. The plan is to cut down all the trees which stand about
the place, one Tinduka-tree only being allowed to remain. A hedge of
thorns is drawn about the open space, and the monkeys are to be killed
inside the enclosure when they climb the tree in search of food. The
monkeys escape, however; for another monkey goes and fires the village,
thus distracting the attention of the men. Incident D, the Thyestean
banquet, is widespread throughout European saga and Märchen literature:
but even this incident Cosquin (I : xxxix) connects with India through
an Annamite tale. With incident F3 compare a story from British North
Borneo (Evans, 429-430), in which the adjutant-bird (lungun) and the
tortoise revenge themselves on monkeys. The monkeys pull out all of the
bird's feathers while it is asleep. In two months the feathers grow in
again, and the bird seeks vengeance. It gets the tortoise to help it
by placing its body in a large hole in the bottom of a boat, so that
the water will not leak in; the bird then sails the boat. The monkeys
want a ride, and the bird lets forty-one of them in. When the boat is
out in the ocean and begins to roll, the bird advises the monkeys to
tie their tails together two and two and sit on the edge of the boat
to steady it. Then the bird flies away, the tortoise drops out of the
hole, and the boat sinks. All the monkeys are drowned but the odd one.


TALE 56

The Monkey and the Crocodile.


Tagalog Version.

Narrated by Engracio Abasola of Manila. He heard the story from
his nephew.

One day, while a clever monkey was searching for his food along the
river-bank, he saw a tall macopa-tree laden with ripe fruits. The
tree was standing just by the shore of a river where a young crocodile
lived. After eating all the fruit he wanted, the monkey climbed down
the tree. He suddenly conceived the desire of getting on the other
side of the wide river, but he found no means by which to cross. At
last he saw the crocodile, who had just waked up from his siesta;
and the monkey said to him in a friendly way, "My dear crocodile,
will you do me a favor?"

The crocodile was greatly surprised by this amicable salutation of the
monkey. However, he answered humbly, "Oh, yes! If there is anything I
can do for you, I shall be glad to do it." The monkey then told the
crocodile that he wanted to reach the other side of the river. Then
the crocodile said, "I'll take you over with all my heart. Just sit
on my back, and we'll go at once."

When the monkey was firmly seated on the crocodile's back, they began
their trip. In a short while they reached the middle of the stream,
and the crocodile began to laugh aloud. "Now, you foolish monkey!" it
said, "I'll eat your liver and kidneys, for I'm very hungry." The
monkey became nervous; but he concealed his anxiety, and said, "To
be sure! I thought myself that you might be hungry so I prepared my
liver and kidneys for your dinner; but unfortunately, in our haste
to depart, I left them hanging on the macopa-tree. I'm very glad that
you mentioned the matter. Let us return, and I'll get you the food."

The foolish crocodile, convinced that the monkey was telling the
truth, turned back toward the shore they had just left. When they were
near, the monkey nimbly jumped on to the dry land and scampered up
the tree. When the crocodile saw how he had been deceived, he said,
"I am a fool."


Zambal Version.

Narrated by Leopoldo Uichanco, a Tagalog, who heard the story from
a native of Zambales.

One stormy day a monkey was standing by the shore of a river, wondering
how he could get to the other side. He could not get over by himself;
for the water was deep, and he did not know how to swim. He looked
about for some logs; but all he saw was a large crocodile with its
mouth wide open, ready to seize him. He was very much frightened;
but he said, "O Mr. Crocodile! pray, do not kill me! Spare my life,
and I will lead you to a place where you can get as many monkeys as
will feed you all your life."

The crocodile agreed, and the monkey said that the place was on the
other side of the river. So the crocodile told him to get on his back,
and he would carry him across. Just before they reached the bank, the
monkey jumped to land, ran as fast as he could, and climbed up a tree
where his mate was. The crocodile could not follow, of course: so he
returned to the water, saying, "The time will come when you shall pay."

Not long afterwards the monkey found the crocodile lying motionless,
as if dead. About the place were some low Chile pepper-bushes loaded
with numerous bright-red fruits like ornaments on a Christmas tree. The
monkey approached the crocodile, and began playing with his tail;
but the crocodile made a sudden spring, and seized the monkey so
tightly that he could not escape. "Think first, think first!" said the
monkey. "Mark you, Mr. Crocodile! I am now the cook of his Majesty the
king. Those bright-red breads have been intrusted to my care," and the
monkey pointed to the pepper-shrubs. "The moment you kill me, the king
will arrive with thousands of well-armed troops, and will punish you."

The crocodile was frightened by what the monkey said. "Mr. Monkey,
I did not mean to harm you," he said. "I will set you free if you will
let me eat only as many pieces of bread as will relieve my hunger."

"Eat all you can," responded the monkey kindly. "Take as many as you
please. They are free to you."

Without another word, the crocodile let the monkey go, and rushed
at the heavily-laden bushes. The monkey slipped away secretly,
and climbed up a tree, where he could enjoy the discomfiture of his
voracious friend. The crocodile began to cough, sneeze, and scratch
his tongue. When he rushed to the river to cool his mouth, the monkey
only laughed at him.

MORAL: Use your own judgment; do not rely on the counsel of others,
for it is the father of destruction and ruin.


Notes.

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