At Spirit Monkey's command, all of Flower-Fruit Mountain sprang into action.
Hundreds upon hundreds of monkeys emerged from every corner of the forest, some carrying thick tree trunks, others clutching great bundles of vines.
Still others piled baskets of spirit fruits they normally could not bear to eat onto the clearing before Water Curtain Cave.
For a time, the whole of Flower-Fruit Mountain echoed with the monkeys' chattering and the clamor of supplies being hauled about.
Spirit Monkey stood beside the stream with his hands on his hips, directing the troop.
"Hurry! All of you, hurry!"
"That log's too thin! Get a thicker one!"
"Where's the fruit? Where's the fruit I told you to pick? Pack more! What if I get hungry on the way?"
Spirit Monkey tied off the last vine and gave it two hard tugs. The bamboo raft did not budge.
He clapped his hands in satisfaction, then leaped onto the raft and bounced twice.
The raft stayed perfectly steady.
"That'll do! Nice and sturdy!"
He glanced back. The bank before Water Curtain Cave was packed with a dense throng of monkeys.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes gazed at him in unison.
Tears already glistened in many of the old monkeys' eyes, while the little ones tugged at their parents' fur and looked curiously at their king.
Spirit Monkey scratched his head, suddenly feeling a pang in his heart.
But his fear of death and yearning for immortality soon pushed that feeling down.
"What're you all staring at?"
He grinned. "It's not like I'm never coming back."
"Once I've learned how to live forever without growing old, I'll come back and teach you! I won't leave a single one of you out!"
He waved to the troop, then pushed hard with a long bamboo pole. The wooden