ings 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 stick he said to the Toad:

"Brother Toad, I have looked at thy whole body, and not seen any wale
of a stick: thou art right."

The Toad said to the Rat. "As thou disputest with me, and maintainest
that thou canst do what I do, get up again, and go to where the great
men are sitting; and if on seeing thee, these men do not say anything
to thee, so that I see thee come back to me again with a sound skin,
then I know that thou canst do more than I."

The Rat, attending to what the Toad said, arose, got himself ready, and
when he saw the great men sitting under the tree, he went toward them;
but on observing him, they said: "Here comes a Rat," and they every one
took a stick, and pursued him in order to kill him; so he ran away, and
as he ran, a man with a stick pursued him; saying, "I will not let this
Rat escape."

The Rat ran until his strength failed him. The man pursued him with
his stick, to kill him; and having come near to him, he took his stick,
and struck at him, with the purpose of killing him; but the stick did
not hit him, and God saved him, his time being not yet arrived, by
showing him a hole into which he crept. When the man saw that he had
gotten into the hole, he went back and returned home. The Rat, on
seeing that the man had gone home, came again out of the hole, and went
to the Toad, saying to him:

"Brother Toad, I indeed at first disputed with thee, saying that I
could do more than thou; but, as for my disp