breastplates they had the leaves of beets.
Cabbage leaves, well cut, made their strong shields. They took their
spears from the pond side--deadly pointed rushes they were, and they
placed upon their heads helmets that were empty snail shells. So armed
and so accoutered they were ready to meet the grand attack of the mice.

When the robber came to this part of the story Heracles halted his
march, for he was shaking with laughter. The robber stopped in his
story. Heracles slapped him on the leg and said: "What more of the
heroic exploits of the mice?" The second robber said, "I know no more,
but perhaps my brother at the other side of you can tell you of the
mighty combat between them and the frogs." Then Heracles shifted the
first robber from his back to his front, and the first robber said: "I
will tell you what I know about the heroical combat between the frogs
and the mice." And thereupon he began:

The gnats blew their trumpets. This was the dread signal for war.

Bread Nibbler struck the first blow. He fell upon Loud Crier the frog,
and overthrew him. At this Loud Crier's friend, Reedy, threw down spear
and shield and dived into the water. This seemed to presage victory for
the mice. But then Water Larker, the most warlike of the frogs, took up
a great pebble and flung it at Ham Nibbler who was then pursuing Reedy.
Down fell Ham Nibbler, and there was dismay in the ranks of the mice.

Then Cabbage Climber, a great-hearted frog, took up a clod of mud and
flung it full at a mouse that was coming furiously upon him. That
mouse's helmet was knocked off and his forehead was plastered with the
clod of mud, so that he was well-nigh blinded.

It was then that victory inclined to the frogs. Bread Nibbler again
came into the fray. He rushed furiously upon Puff jaw the king.

Leeky, the trusted friend of Puff jaw, opposed Bread Nibbler's
onslaught. Mightily he drove his spear at the king of the mice. But the
point of the spear broke upon Bread Nibbler's shield, and then Leeky
was overthrown.

Bread Nibbler came upon Puff jaw, and the two great kings faced each
other. The frogs and the mice drew aside, and there was a pause in the
combat. Bread Nibbler the mouse struck Puff jaw the frog terribly upon
the toes.

Puff jaw drew out of the battle. Now all would have been lost for the
frogs had not Zeus, the father of the gods, looked down upon the battle.

"Dear, dear," said Zeus, "what can be done to save the frogs? They