of the Cat's mouth."
The people of the town said to her: "To-day our Lord has delivered thee, but for
the future do thou no more make friendship with the Cat. The Cat is too cunning
for thee: beware of the Cat in future!"
I have heard old people say, that on that day the cats and the fowls dissolved
their friendship. This is finished.
The Stork and the Toad
A Stork went and laid eggs in a tree, brooded and hatched young ones. Then she
left and went to seek food for her little ones; but she did not get any food, and all
her little ones were crying for hunger. The Stork did not know what to do. So she
arose one day, went to her friend, and said, "My friend, I am come to thee."
Her friend said: "What dost thou want that thou art come to me?"
She replied to her friend: "My children are hungry, and I have no food; therefore,
am I come to thee; teach me a device!"
Her friend said to her: "Arise in the morning, go to the brook, and see whether
there are Toads in it; then come back, and on the following morning go again,
and lie down by the side of the brook; stretch out thy legs and thy wings, shut
thine eyes, keep quite silent, and lie in one place until the Toads come out in the
morning, and, after seeing thee, go home and call all their people to come, to
take thee by the wing and to drag thee away. But do not thou speak to them—be
perfectly quiet."
She listened to what her friend said, and at night-quiet she arose, and went to the
brook, when all the Toads were singing; but as soon as they saw her, they went
and hid themselves at the bottom of the water. So the Stork went home and slept,
and having slept she arose up early and went back again to the brook, without
being observed by the Toads; she went softly, and lay down by the side of the
water, pretending to be dead, stretched out her legs, her wings, and her mouth,
and shut her eyes. Thus she lay, until at break of day when one Toad arose, and,
finding that it was day, came forth and saw the Stork lying. He went back, and
called all the Toads: