The Rivalry for the Lizard King’s Daughters

Many years ago the King of Lizards had two beautiful daughters. Nobody except the king knew their names. The king declared that anyone who could tell him their names would be given a daughter to marry, and also a bag of money.

Naturally every man wanted to marry a daughter of the king and to have a bag of money, but no one could tell the daughters’ names.

However, the monkey was particularly clever. For three days he carefully concealed himself and watched what the king’s daughters were doing. On the fourth day he bought two mango fruits. They were of first-class quality and appearance. He took them and climbed one of the trees under which the girls were playing.

Eventually one of the sisters went away. Then the monkey threw down a mango. The girl under the tree called to her sister to come back and share the fruit. She called her by her name, so the clever monkey knew one of the names.

Then the monkey waited patiently until the other sister went away. Again he threw down a mango and the girl remaining under the tree also called to her sister to come back and share the fruit. She called her by name, so the monkey heard that also.

At this time there was a very important rule about speaking to the King of Lizards. Nobody was allowed to speak to him directly. If anyone wanted to speak to the king, he would speak to a palace official known as the Old Lizard who would then repeat the words to the king.

The day after the monkey had found out the names of the king’s daughters, he went to the palace. All the lizards were there. The monkey told the Old Lizard that he wished to marry a daughter of the king. The Old Lizard repeated this to the king.

“What are the names of my daughters?” asked the king.

The monkey told their names to the Old Lizard and the Old Lizard repeated them to the king.

“It is to you that I will give both my daughters and the two bags of money,” the king announced to the Old Lizard. “They are yours, Old Lizard, because you have spoken their names to me.”

The monkey was very angry. He waited until night time. In the darkness he stole a large cock which belonged to the king. He killed the cock and ate it; then he went to the house of the Old Lizard. He threw the bones and the feathers of the cock into the Old Lizard’s house.

“But I am not yet finished,” said the monkey to himself.

Next he heated some palm-tree juice and took it to the Old Lizard.

“Drink this sweet-tasting juice,” persuaded the monkey. The Old Lizard foolishly drank it and burnt his throat.

The monkey then took some more heated palm-tree juice to the Old Lizard’s servant.

“Drink this sweet-tasting juice,” said the monkey, and the unsuspecting servant drank it and burnt his throat also.

The next morning it was reported to the king that one of his best cocks was missing. Everyone was called to the palace.

“Where is my cock?” the king demanded.

“The Old Lizard stole it,” cried the monkey. “The bones and feathers are in his house.”

“Is it you who has stolen my cock?” the king asked the Old Lizard.

But the Old Lizard’s throat had been so badly burnt by the hot palm-tree juice that he could not speak; he could only nod his head up and down.

“Was it the Old Lizard who stole my cock?” the king asked the Old Lizard’s servant.

But the Old Lizard’s servant had burnt his throat so badly by drinking the hot palm-tree juice that he, too, was unable to speak. He could only nod his head up and down.

Then the king spoke to all those who were gathered together at the palace: “Even though the Old Lizard told me the names of my daughters, it appears that he has stolen my cock. Therefore I shall give to the Old Lizard neither my daughters nor the two bags of money.”

So neither the Old Lizard nor the monkey married a daughter of the king nor received a bag of money.