But Pedro and Diego, far from being grateful for what Juan had done for them, bound him, choked him, beat him, and left him for dead far from any road or any habitation, and went on their way to the king with the aderna bird, expecting for one the hand of the princess and for the other a rich reward.

But the aderna bird would not sing.  Said the king, “O Aderna Bird, why do you not sing?” The bird replied, “O Mighty King, I sing only for him who caught me.”  “Did these men catch you?” “No, O King, Juan caught me, and these men have beaten him and stolen me from him.”  So the king had them punished, and waited for the coming of Juan.

Juan meanwhile had freed himself from his bonds, and wandered sore and hungry and lame through the forest.  At last he met an old man who said to him, “Juan, why do you not go to the king’s house, for there they want you very much?” “Alas,” said Juan, “I am not able to walk so far from weakness, and I fear I shall die here in the forest.”  “Do not fear,” said the old man, “I have here a wonderful hat that, should you but whisper to it where you wish to go, in a moment you are transported there through the air.”

So the old man gave him the hat, and Juan put it on and said, “Hat, if this be thy nature, carry me across the mountains to the king’s palace.”  And the hat carried him immediately into the presence of the king.  Then the aderna bird began to sing, and after a time Juan married the princess, and all went well for the rest of their lives.

CHAPTER 8

The Story of Juan and the Monkey.

Juan was a farmer, a farmer so poor that he had only one shirt and one pair of trousers.  Juan was much annoyed by monkeys, who stole his corn.  So he set a trap and caught several of them.  These he killed with a club until he came to the last, which said to him, “Juan, don’t kill me and I will be your servant all your life.”  “But I will,” said Juan.  “You are a thief and do not deserve to live.”  “Juan, let me live, and I will bring you good fortune, and if you kill me you will be poor all your life.”  The monkey talked so eloquently that Juan let himself be persuaded, and took the monkey home with him.  The monkey was true to his word, and served Juan faithfully, cooking, washing, and hunting food for him, and at night going to distant fields and stealing maize and palay which he added to Juan’s little store.

One day the monkey said to Juan, “Juan, why do you not marry?” Said Juan, “How can I marry?  I have nothing to keep a wife.”  “Take my advice,” said the monkey, “and you can marry the king’s daughter.”  Juan took the monkey’s advice and they set out for the king’s palace.  Juan remained behind while the monkey went up to the palace alone.  Outside he called, as the custom is, “Honorable people!” and the king said, “Come in.”  The king said, “Monkey, where do you walk?” and the monkey said, “Mr. King, I wish to borrow