Once upon a time, the Flea, the Grasshopper, and the Skipjack wanted to see which of them could jump the highest. They invited the whole world to witness the grand spectacle, and the three famous jumpers gathered in a room.
"Yes, I'll give my daughter to him who jumps highest," declared the King, "for it would be mean to let these people jump for nothing."
The Flea stepped out first. He had charming manners and bowed in all directions, for he had young ladies' blood in his veins and was accustomed to consort only with human beings—a matter of great consequence.
Then came the Grasshopper. He was certainly heavier but had a fine figure and wore the green uniform he was born with. He claimed to belong to a very old Egyptian family, highly esteemed there. He said he had just come from the field and had been placed in a three-story house made of playing cards, with doors and windows cut from the body of the Queen of Hearts.
"I sing so well," he boasted, "that sixteen native crickets, who have chirped since youth without ever owning a card house, would grow thin with envy if they heard me."
Both the Flea and the Grasshopper made sure to announce who they were and that they considered themselves worthy of marrying a Princess.
The Skipjack said nothing, but it was whispered that he thought all the more. The Yard Dog, after sniffing him, asserted that the Skipjack was of good family, formed from the breastbone of a genuine goose. An old councillor, decorated for his silence, declared the Skipjack possessed the gift of prophecy; one could tell from his bones whether the winter would be severe or mild—more than one could tell from the breastbone of the almanac writer.
"I shall say no more," said the old King. "I only observe quietly and think the best."
Now it was time to jump. The Flea sprang so high that no one could see him, so they claimed he hadn't jumped at all—a very mean assertion. The Grasshopper jumped only half as high but sprang straight into the King's face, which the King declared horribly rude. The Skipjack stood considering for a long time, until people thought he couldn't jump at all.
"I only hope he's not unwell," said the Yard Dog, sniffing him again.
"Tap!" With a little crooked jump, he sprang right into the lap of the Princess, who sat on a low golden stool.
Then the King said, "The highest leap was taken by him who jumped up to my daughter, for therein lies the point. But it requires wit to achieve that, and the Skipjack has shown he has wit."
And so he won the Princess.
"I jumped highest, after all," said the Flea. "But it's all the same. Let her have the goose-bone with its wax and stick. I jumped the highest, but in this world, a body is required if one wishes to be seen."
The Flea then went into foreign military service, where it is said he was killed.
The Grasshopper sat in a ditch, pondering how things happen in the world. He too said, "A body is required! A body is required!" And then he sang his own melancholy song. From that song, we have gathered this story, which they say is not true, though it's in print.