814 A NATURALIST IN CELEBES ch. xii 



was not improved by this, and he still had before him the chance 

 of starvation. Fortunately, however, he was saved in the 

 following remarkable manner : — 



Wandering one day along the coast he met a crocodile. 

 ' What ! ' he said, ' is there only one of you left alive ? The 

 number of the crocodiles is always small.' ' Well,' said the 

 crocodile, ' there are a great many more of us than of you.' ' I 

 like that,' said the ape. ' Come now, you go and fetch all your 

 comrades and I will fetch mine, and we will see who are the 

 most.' While the crocodile was away calling his companions, 

 the ape ran about hither and thither on the sand, so as to make 

 as many footprints as possible. When the crocodile returned 

 with his companions, he said to the ape, ' Where then are your 

 comrades ? ' ' Oh,' said the ape, ' you were such a long time 

 fetching yours that mine got tired of waiting and have gone 

 away again.' ' You are deceiving us,' said the crocodile. ' Come 

 ashore then,' answered the ape, ' and count the number of the 

 footmarks.' 



The footsteps being counted, it was necessary for the ape to 

 count the crocodiles ; and in order to facilitate this, he asked 

 them to stand one behind the other. This they did, forming a 

 bridge of crocodiles which reached from the island to the opposite 

 shore. Now the ape began to count, and, springing from the 

 back of one crocodile to the next, he reached the dry land. Thus 

 the ape escaped from starvation on the island, and the crocodiles, 

 sorely vexed at the trick that had been played on them, were 

 obliged to confess that the ape was too clever for them (90). 



The last class of stories to which I shall call attention 

 is that which includes those based upon the common 

 belief that the hair of the head, or a portion of it, is the 

 seat of strength, courage, or even life. This belief may be 

 found in almost every race of human beings, and in all 

 times. We find it very strongly marked in many passages 

 of the Old Testament, for example. Samson says to Delilah, 

 Judges xvi. 17, 'If I be shaven, then will my strength 

 go from me, and I shall become weak and like any other 

 man.' Numerous examples might also be taken from 



