nets into the boat, he saw lying among the fishes a tiny little
turtle. He was delighted with his prize, and threw it into a
wooden vessel to keep till he got home, when suddenly the turtle
found its voice, and tremblingly begged for its life. 'After
all,' it said, 'what good can I do you? I am so young and small,
and I would so gladly live a little longer. Be merciful and set
me free, and I shall know how to prove my gratitude.'

Now Uraschimataro was very good-natured, and besides, he could
never bear to say no, so he picked up the turtle, and put it back
into the sea.

Years flew by, and every morning Uraschimataro sailed his boat
into the deep sea. But one day as he was making for a little bay
between some rocks, there arose a fierce whirlwind, which
shattered his boat to pieces, and she was sucked under by the
waves. Uraschimataro himself very nearly shared the same fate.
But he was a powerful swimmer, and struggled hard to reach the
shore. Then he saw a large turtle coming towards him, and above
the howling of the storm he heard what it said: 'I am the turtle
whose life you once saved. I will now pay my debt and show my
gratitude. The land is still far distant, and without my help you
would never get there. Climb on my back, and I will take you
where you will.' Uraschimataro did not wait to be asked twice,
and thankfully accepted his friend's help. But scarcely was he
seated firmly on the shell, when the turtle proposed that they
should not return to the shore at once, but go under the sea, and
look at some of the wonders that lay hidden there.

Uraschimataro agreed willingly, and in another moment they were