joy in every member and made haste to say: "Why, that is a part of the curse laid on me by the Brahman. For that reason I am greatly pleased at your command." So he ate frogs uninterruptedly, and in a very few days he grew strong. And with delight and inner laughter he said:
The trick was good. All sorts of frogs
Within my power have passed.
The only question that remains,
Is: How long will they last?
Water-Foot, for his part, was befooled by Slow-Poison's plausibilities, and did not notice a thing.
At this moment another black snake, a tremendous fellow, arrived on the scene. And being amazed at the sight of Slow-Poison used as a vehicle by frogs, he said: "Partner, they are our natural food, yet they use you as a vehicle. This is repellent." And Slow-Poison said:
I know I should not carry frogs;
I have it well in mind;
But I am marking time, as did
The Brahman butter-blind.
"How was that?" asked the snake. And Slow-Poison told the story of
THE BUTTER-BLINDED BRAHMAN
There was once a Brahman named Theodore in a certain town. His wife, being unchaste and a pursuer of other men, was forever making cakes with
