"Why!" he cried. "It fell on a stone, and smashed open. That's what
cracked the shell, Mamma."
"Yes, I thought it would," said Mrs. Monkey. "And that is the lesson you
little ones are to learn. You cannot bite open a cocoanut. You must
crack it on a stone. Mappo dropped his by accident, but it can also be
dropped, or thrown, on purpose. So, when you get a cocoanut, the first
thing to do is to get a sharp stick, and take off the outer shell. Then,
go up in a tall tree, and drop the inside nut down on a stone. The fall
will break it, and you can then eat the white meat."
"Oh, isn't that a nice thing to know!" cried Choo.
"Yes, indeed," said her sister Chaa. "I wish we had a cocoanut to break
open."
"Come up in the tree and I'll give you each one," said Mrs. Monkey.
Up into the tree, where their house was, scrambled Mappo, and his
brothers and sisters. Mappo carried in his paws the pieces of white
cocoanut he had broken out of the round, brown shell. He nibbled at a
piece.
"Oh, doesn't that taste good!" he cried.
"Please give me some," begged Chaa, holding out one little, brown paw.
"No, I want it all," said Mappo.
"Oh, you must not be selfish!" said Mrs. Monkey. "Give your brothers and
sisters some, Mappo, and when they open their nuts, they will give you
some."
Mappo was sorry he had been a little selfish. He gave each of the other
monkeys some cocoanut. Mrs. Monkey went into the tree-house and came out
with four other cocoanuts.
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