The Bronze Ring (20)

The Bronze Ring (20)

The mouse with the cropped ears found a lamp full of oil, and a bottle full of pepper.

So she dipped her tail first in the oil and then in the pepper, and held it to the man's nose.

" Atisha ! atisha ! " he sneezed, but he did not wake, and the shock made the bronze ring jump out of his mouth.

Quick as thought the lame mouse snatched up the precious talisman and carried it off to the boat.

Imagine the despair of the magician when he awoke and the bronze ring was nowhere to be found !

But by that time our three mice had set sail with their prize.

A favouring breeze was carrying them towards the island where the queen of the mice was awaiting them.
Naturally they began to talk about the bronze ring.

" Which of us deserves the most credit ? " they cried all at once.

" I do, " said the blind mouse, " for without my watchfulness our boat would have drifted away to the open sea. "

" No, indeed, " cried the mouse with the cropped ears ; " the credit is mine. did I not cause the ring to jump out of the man's mouth ? "

" No, it is mine, " cried the lame one, " for I ran off with the ring. "

And from high words they soon came to blows, and alas ! when the quarrel was fiercest the bronze ring fell into the sea.

(20/22)