Jataka Monkey Crocodile

tale:jataka_monkey_crocodile

A monkey living in a riverside tree befriends a crocodile and shares fruit with him, until the crocodile's wife craves the monkey's heart. Offered a ride across the river and then told the plan midstream, the monkey says calmly that monkeys keep their hearts hung in the fig tree and must fetch it; carried back to the bank, he springs up the tree and is safe. Moral: a cool head escapes the jaws of treachery. — Jataka tale