The Voracious Frog

There were a rat and a frog. And the rat said to the frog, "Go and get
me some sticks, while I go and get some flour and milk." So the frog
went out far into the jungle and brought home plenty of sticks, and
the rat went out and brought home flour and milk for their dinner.
Then she cooked the dinner, and when it was cooked she said to the
frog, "Now, you sit here while I go to bathe, and take care of the
food so that no one may come and eat it up." Then the rat went to take
her bath, and as soon as she had gone the frog made haste and ate up
the dinner quickly, and went away.

When the rat came back she found no dinner, and she could not find the
frog. So she went out to look for him, calling to him as loudly as she
could, and she saw him in the distance, and overtook him. "Why have
you eaten my dinner? Why did you go away?" said the rat. Said the
frog, "Oh, dear! it was not I that ate your dinner, but a huge dog
that came; and I was only a tiny, tiny thing, and he was a great big
dog, and so he frightened me, and I ran away." "Very well," said the
rat; "go and fetch me more sticks while I go for flour and milk." So
the frog went out far into the jungle and brought back plenty of
sticks. And the rat went to fetch flour and milk. Then she lit the
fire and cooked the dinner, and told the frog to take care of the
dinner while she went to bathe. As soon as she had gone, the frog ate
up all the dinner, and went away and hid himself. When the rat came
back she saw no frog, no dinner. She went away into the jungle and
called to him, and the frog answered from behind a tree, "Here I am,
here I am." The rat went to him and said, "Why did you eat my dinner?"
"I didn't," said the frog. "It was a great big dog ate the dinner, and
he wanted to eat me too, and so I ran away." The rat said, "Very well.
Go and fetch me some more sticks, and I will go for flour and milk."
Then she cooked the dinner again and went to bathe. The frog ate up
all the dinner, and went away and hid himself. When the rat returned
she saw no dinner, no frog. So she went far into the jungle, found the
frog, and told him that it was he that had eaten the dinner. And the
frog said, "No," and the rat said, "Yes." And the frog said, "If you
say that again, I will eat you up." "All right," says the rat, "eat me
up." So he ate her up and sat behind a tree, and the baker came past.
The frog called out, "Baker, come here! come here! Give me some
bread." The baker looked about everywhere, could not see anybody,
could not think who was calling him. At last he saw the frog sitting
behind a tree. "Give me some bread," says the frog. The man said, "No,
I won't give you any bread. I am a great big man, and you are only a
little frog, and you have no money." "Yes, I have money. I will give
you some pice, and you will give me some bread." But the man said,
"No, I won't." "Well," said the frog, "if you won't give me bread, I
will eat you up first, and then I will eat up your bread." So he ate
up the man, and then ate up his bread. Presently a man with oranges
and lemons passed by. The frog called to him, "Come here! come here!"
The man was very much afraid. He didn't know who had called him. Then
he saw the frog, and the frog said, "Give me some lemons." The man
wouldn't, and said, "No." "Very well," says the frog, "if you won't,
I'll eat you up." So he ate up the man with his lemons and oranges.
Presently a horse and his groom went by. The frog says, "Please give
me a ride, and I will give you some money." "No," said the horse, "I
won't let you ride on me. You are like a monkey,--very little--I won't
let you ride on my back." The frog said, "If you won't, I'll eat you
up." Then the frog ate him up, and his groom too. Then a barber passed
by. "Come and shave me," says the frog. "Good," says the barber, "I'll
come and shave you." So he shaved him, and he thought the frog looked
_very_ fat, and so as he was shaving him he suddenly made a cut in his
stomach. Out jumped the rat with her flour and milk--the baker with
his bread--the lemon-seller with his oranges and lemons--the horse and
his groom. And the barber ran away home. And the frog died.