do, arise, and begin to do it. I will see!"
The Rat, attending to what the toad said, got ready and the following morning,
when the sun had gained strength and the great men had stood up and got under
the shade of a tree, the Rat saw them sitting there, and went to do what the Toad
had done; but when he came to where the men were sitting, and just went to pass
through the midst of them, they saw him, and they all took sticks, and sought to
kill him: one man attempting to kill him with a stick, struck at him, but did not
hit him well, the stick touching him only a little on the back; so he ran away to
the Toad.
On his arrival the Rat said to the Toad:
"Brother Toad, as thou wentest to where the people were sitting no one said a
word to thee, and thou camest home again with a sound skin; but when I went,
and they saw me, just as I went to pass through them they all took sticks, and
sought to kill me; and one man taking a stick and striking at me to kill me, our
Lord helped me, that the stick hit me only a little on the back; so I ran away, and
came to thee. I disputed with thee, thinking that I could do what thou doest: now
to-day I have experienced something; to-morrow let us begin again and when I
have the experience of to-morrow, I shall be able to give thee an answer."
The Toad said to the Rat: "The things of today are passed; to-morrow, when the
great men have gone and sat down under the tree, I will get ready and when thou
hast seen that, on observing me come to them and pass through the midst of
them, they will not say a word to me, thou also shalt do what I did." So the Rat
then went to see the Toad.
As soon as the Toad saw the great men sitting under the tree, he again began,
saying to the Rat, "Look at me, as I go to the place where the great men are
sitting, with a sound skin: but if, on my return from them, if thou seest the wale
of a stick on any part of my body, thou hast spoken the truth, and canst do more
than I."
The Toad got ready, and on coming to where the men were sitting no one said
anything to him; so he passed through the midst of them, and went again to the
Rat, saying: "Look at me! Look at my whole body! Canst thou see the wale of a
stick? If thou seest one, then tell me of it!"
When the Rat had looked at the Toad's whole body and not seen any wale of a