Now, when the relatives and household of the Crab heard how matters
stood, they were surprised and angry, and declared war, and attacked
the Monkey, who, leading forth a numerous following, bade defiance to
the other party. The crabs, finding themselves unable to meet and
cope with this force, became still more exasperated and enraged,
and retreated into their hole and held a council of war. Then came a
rice-mortar, a pestle, a bee, and an egg, and together they devised a
deep-laid plot to be avenged.
First, they requested that peace be made with the crabs; and thus they
induced the king of the monkeys to enter their hole unattended, and
seated him on the hearth. The Monkey, not suspecting any plot, took
the _hibashi_, or poker, to stir up the slumbering fire, when bang!
went the egg, which was lying hidden in the ashes, and burned the
Monkey's arm. Surprised and alarmed, he plunged his arm into the
pickle-tub in the kitchen to relieve the pain of the burn. Then the
bee which was hidden near the tub stung him sharply in his face,
already wet with tears. Without waiting to brush off the bee, and
howling bitterly, he rushed for the back door; but just then some
seaweed entangled his legs and made him slip.
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