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:

"come, behold, i have seen something dead, lying at the door of our house, and when i had seen it i came back to call you."

so all the toads arose and followed him, and having come out, they all saw a stork lying at the door of their house; but they did not know that the stork was more cunning than themselves. they returned home, called a council together and said: "what shall we do? some one who came, we do not know whence, has died before the gate of our town." all their great men answered, and said, "arise all of you, go out, drag this dead body far away, and leave it there."

so they all arose, went, and, taking the stork by its wings and legs, dragged it away.

the stork was cunning; she saw them without their knowing it. they sang, as they dragged her away:

"drag her and leave her! drag her and leave her!"

the stork did not speak to them, as they all dragged her away, although she saw them. now when they had carried her far away, the stork opened her eyes, which when they saw they all began to run away. as soon as the stork saw that the toads had begun to run away, she arose, and pursued them; having overtaken one, she took and swallowed it, and went on taking and swallowing them. the toads kept running, but by the time they would have got home the stork had swallowed them all, one by one. she had filled her bag, and then started on her way home. as soon as her children saw her, they all ran to their mother, saying, "our mother has brought us food." when they came their mother threw all the toads in her bag down to her children, and her children ate them, so that their hunger was appeased.

the stork arose, went to her friend, and said:

"my friend, what thou toldest me yesterday is excellent: i went and lay down by the side of the brook, and when the toads saw me in the morning, they thought i was dead; they came, dragged me along, and when they had carried me far away, not knowing that i was wiser than they and thinking that i was dead, i opened mine eyes to look at them; but on seeing me open mine eyes, they all began to run away. then i arose, pursued them, and when i had overtaken one, i took and swallowed it; and when i had overtaken a second i took and swallowed it; so by the time they would have reached home i had swallowed them all, and filled my bag with them. i brought them to my children, and when my children were around me, i threw the toads before them out of the bag and they ate them, that their hunger was appeased."

she also thanked her friend, saying: "god bless thee; thou hast taught me an excellent device."

thus the stork and her friend devised a plan, and thus they were able to maintain their children while the toads were sitting in their house.

so now, when the toads are croaking in a brook, and they see any one come, they are all quite silent, supposing that a stork is coming.

this fable of the stork and toads, which i heard, is now finished.