you would only consent to come home with me, how gladly would I
give you anything that might happen to take your fancy.'

'I should like nothing better,' cried the monkey, his teeth
chattering, as they always did when he was pleased. 'But how
could I get there? Not by water. Ugh! It makes me ill to think of
it!'

'Oh! don't let that trouble you,' replied the shark, 'you have
only to sit on my back and I will undertake that not a drop of
water shall touch you.'

So it was arranged, and directly after breakfast next morning the
shark swam close up under the tree and the monkey dropped neatly
on his back, without even a splash. After a few minutes--for at
first he felt a little frightened at his strange position--the
monkey began to enjoy himself vastly, and asked the shark a
thousand questions about the fish and the sea-weeds and the
oddly-shaped things that floated past them, and as the shark
always gave him some sort of answer, the monkey never guessed
that many of the objects they saw were as new to his guide as to
himself.

The sun had risen and set six times when the shark suddenly said,
'My friend, we have now performed half our journey, and it is
time that I should tell you something.'

'What is it?' asked the monkey. 'Nothing unpleasant, I hope, for
you sound rather grave?'