you can imagine the feelings of the poor crab after waiting patiently, for so long as he had done, for the tree to grow and the fruit to ripen, when he saw the monkey devouring all the good persimmons. he was so disappointed that he ran round and round the tree calling to the monkey to remember his promise. the monkey at first took no notice of the crab's complaints, but at last he picked out the hardest, greenest persimmon he could find and aimed it at the crab's head. the persimmon is as hard as stone when it is unripe. the monkey's missile struck home and the crab was sorely hurt by the blow. again and again, as fast as he could pick them, the monkey pulled off the hard persimmons and threw them at the defenseless crab till he dropped dead, covered with wounds all over his body. there he lay a pitiful sight at the foot of the tree he had himself planted.