he other."

"But how," replied his friend, "is this to be brought about?"

The first physician answered: "Hear me. I will pluck out your eyes
without doing you the smallest injury, and lay them before you on the
table; and when you desire it I will replace them as perfect and
serviceable as they were before. If, in like manner, you can perform
this, we will then be esteemed equal, and walk as brethren through the
world. But, remember, he who fails in the attempt shall become the
servant of the other."

"I am well pleased," returned his fellow, "to do as you say." Whereupon
he who made the proposition took out his instruments and extracted the
eyes, besmearing the sockets and the outer part of the lids with a
certain rich ointment.

"My dear friend," said he, "what do you perceive?"

"Of a surety," cried the other, "I see nothing. I want the use of my
eyes, but I feel no pain from their loss. I pray you, however, restore
them to their places as you promised."

"Willingly," said his friend. He again touched the inner and outer part
of the lids with the ointment, and then, with much precision, inserted
the balls into their sockets. "How do you see now?" asked he.

"Excellently," returned the other, "nor do I feel the least pain."
"Well, then," continued the first, "it now remains for you to treat me
in a similar manner." "I am ready," he said. And accordingly taking the
instruments, as the first had done, he smeared the upper and under parts
of the eye with a peculiar ointment, drew out the eyes and placed them
upon the table. The patient felt no pain, but added, "I wish you would
hasten to restore them." The operator cheerfully complied; but as he
prepared his implements, a crow entered by an open window, and seeing
the eyes upon the table, snatched one of them up, and flew away with it.
The physician, vexed at what had happened, said to himself, "If I do not
restore the eye to my companion, I must become his slave." At that
moment a goat, browsing at no great distance, attracted his observation.
Instantly he ran to it, drew out one of his eyes, and put it into the
place of the lost one.

"My dear friend," exclaimed the operator, "how do things appear to
you?"

"Neither in extracting nor in replacing," he answered, "did I suffer the
least pain; but--bless me!--one eye looks up to the trees!"

"Ah!" replied the first, "this is the very perfection of medicine.
Neither of us is superior; henceforward we will be f