She gave one each to the other monkeys, and
soon they had torn off the tough, outer husk, or covering, with a sharp
stick, the way Mappo did.
Then they threw the round brown nuts down on a flat stone under the
tree, cracking the shell so they could pick out the white meat.
"Oh, but this is good!" exclaimed Mappo, as he chewed some of the pieces
his brothers and sisters gave him.
All of a sudden, as the little monkeys were eating away, there sounded a
rustling in the trees. Something was coming through the branches.
"Look out!" cried Jacko.
"Run!" shouted Mappo.
"Don't be afraid, children, it's only your papa," said a kind,
chattering voice, and Mr. Monkey, with a bunch of bananas slung over his
back, came scrambling up to the tree-house.
"Did you see the tiger?" asked Mrs. Monkey.
"No, but I heard the other monkeys calling out about him, so I was
careful," said the papa monkey. "Are you all right here?"
"Oh, yes. We saw him in time," spoke Mrs. Monkey.
"Oh, papa, I can open a cocoanut!" cried Mappo.
"So can I!" exclaimed Bumpo. "Look!" and he was in such a hurry to show
what he could do that he slipped, and bumped his head against Mappo,
nearly knocking him off the branch on which the monkey boy was sitting.
In fact, Mappo did fall off, but he had his tail tightly wound around
the branch, so he did not fall all the way to the ground, as he might
have done.
"Look out! What are you doing?" cried Mappo to Bumpo, after having swung
himself up on the branch again.
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