The Monkey’s Fiddle

Hunger and hardship drove Monkey away from his own country one day to look for work among strangers. At home the bulbs, earth-beans, scorpions, insects and everything else worth eating had run out. Luckily, he found a place to stay for a while with his great-uncle, Orang Outang, who lived in another part of the land.

After working for a good long time, Monkey wanted to go home. As his wages, his great-uncle gave him a fiddle and a bow and arrow. With the bow and arrow, he said, Monkey could hit and kill anything he wished; with the fiddle he could make anything dance.

Back in his own country, the first creature he met was Brer Wolf. The old fellow told him all the news, and added that he had been trying since early morning to stalk a deer, without any luck.

Monkey described all the marvels of the bow and arrow slung on his back, and promised that if he could only see the deer, he would shoot it for him. Wolf pointed out the deer, Monkey took aim, and down it fell.

The two of them had a fine meal together. But instead of being grateful, Wolf was eaten up with envy, and he begged for the bow and arrow. When Monkey refused, Wolf began to threaten him, since he was much the stronger. And when Jackal came by, Wolf told him that Monkey had stolen the bow and arrow from him.

Jackal listened to them both and said he could not judge such a case alone. He suggested they take it before the court of Lion, Tiger and the other animals. Meanwhile, he said, he would keep hold of the thing they were quarrelling over, to keep it safe. But straight away he began shooting down everything that was good to eat, and there was a long stretch of slaughter before Monkey and Wolf agreed to go to court.

Monkey’s evidence was weak, and to make matters worse, Jackal spoke against him. Jackal reckoned it would be easier to get the bow and arrow out of Wolf’s hands later than out of Monkey’s.

So the court found against Monkey. Theft was a serious crime, and he was to be hanged.

The fiddle was still at his side, and as a last favour the court allowed him to play one tune on it.

Monkey was the finest player of his day, and on top of that the fiddle had its magic power. So when he struck the first note of “Cockcrow,” the whole court suddenly became strangely lively, and before he reached the first waltzing turn of the old tune, everyone was dancing like a whirlwind.

Again and again, faster and faster, the charmed fiddle played “Cockcrow,” until some of the dancers dropped to the ground worn out, though their feet still kept moving. Monkey, true musician that he was, heard and saw none of it. He played on with his head resting fondly against the fiddle and his eyes half shut, always tapping time with his foot.

Wolf was the first to cry out, gasping and pleading, “Please stop, Cousin Monkey! For pity’s sake, stop!”

Monkey did not even hear him. The irresistible waltz of “Cockcrow” went on and on.

After a while Lion began to tire. When he had whirled round once more with his young lioness wife, he growled as he passed Monkey, “My whole kingdom is yours, ape, if you will only stop playing.”

“I don’t want it,” Monkey answered. “But cancel the sentence and give me back my bow and arrow. And you, Wolf, admit that you stole it from me.”

“I admit it, I admit it!” cried Wolf, and at the same moment Lion called out that the sentence was withdrawn.

Monkey played them a few more turns of “Cockcrow,” picked up his bow and arrow, and settled himself high in the nearest camel-thorn tree.

The court and the other animals were so frightened he might start again that they broke up in a hurry and scattered to new parts of the world.

Where this tale comes from

“The Monkey’s Fiddle” is from James A. Honey’s South-African Folk-Tales (1910). Magic instruments that force listeners to dance appear in folk tales in many countries; in this one the fiddle becomes a way to win justice from a court that has been tricked.

Honey’s English keeps some frontier flavour: the wolf is “Brer Wolf,” the tune is the dance called “Cockcrow,” and Monkey ends up safe in a camel-thorn tree. Jackal, as so often in these tales, is quietly working for himself the whole time.

Read the original: South-African Folk-Tales, ebook 38339 at Project Gutenberg

Best for ages 9–12 — a lively courtroom tale with a hanging that never happens and a joyful musical escape.

Monkey asks for repair, not a kingdom

Lion offers a whole kingdom, but Monkey wants the sentence cancelled and his property returned. Those requests identify the original wrong. Jackal’s supposed safekeeping has already become private use of the bow. The magical dancing gives Monkey bargaining power; because readers witnessed Wolf’s lie, they know the confession is true here. Forced confession alone would not establish truth in a real dispute.

List the repairs

Match each of Monkey’s final demands to an earlier harm. Which harm does returning the bow address, and which needs the sentence withdrawn? What responsibility does Jackal still avoid?

Think about it

• Why did Jackal speak against Monkey in court?
• How did the magic fiddle help Monkey get justice?
• Why did Monkey refuse Lion’s offer of the whole kingdom?

You may also like

• Jackal And Monkey — Monkey and Jackal in another Honey tale
• The Judgment of Baboon — a strange animal court
• The Hunt of Lion and Jackal — Jackal looks after himself first