last legs, when he stood up to look at Ozaka; while the
"cub" was tired enough to believe anything. The old fellow, wiping his
face, spoke up:

"Suppose we save ourselves the trouble of the journey. This hill is half
way between the two cities, and while I see Ozaka and the sea you can get
a good look of the Kio" (Capital, or Kioto).

"Happy thought!" said the Ozaka frog.

Then both reared themselves upon their hind-legs, and stretching upon
their toes, body to body, and neck to neck, propped each other up, rolled
their goggles and looked steadily, as they supposed, on the places which
they each wished to see. Now everyone knows that a frog has eyes mounted
in that part of his head which is FRONT WHEN HE IS DOWN AND BACK WHEN HE
STANDS UP. They are set like a compass on gimbals.

Long and steadily they gazed, until, at last, their toes being tired,
they fell down on all fours.

"I declare!" said the old _yaze_ (daddy) "Ozaka looks just like Kioto;
and as for 'the great ocean' those stupid maids talked about, I don't see
any at all, unless they mean that strip of river that looks for all the
world like the Yodo. I don't believe there is any 'great ocean'!"

"As for my part," said the 'cub', "I am satisfied that it's all folly to
go further; for Kioto is as like Ozaka as one grain of rice is like
another." Then he said to himself: "Old Totsu San (my father) is a fool,
with all his philosophy."

Thereupon both congratulated themselves upon the happy labor-saving
expedient by which they had spared themselves a long journey, much
leg-weariness, and some danger. They departed, after exchanging many
compliments; and, dropping again into a frog's hop, they leaped back in
half the time--the one to his well and the other to his pond. There each
told the story of both cities looking exactly alike; thus demonstrating
the folly of those foolish folks called men. As for the old gentleman in
the lotus-pond, he was so glad to get the "cub" back again that he never
again tried to reason out the problems of philosophy. And to this day the
frog in the well knows not and believes not in the "great ocean." Still
do the babies of frogs become but frogs. Still is it vain to teach the
reptiles philosophy; for all such labor is "like pouring water in a
frog's face." Still out of the black mud springs the glorious white lotus
in celestial purity, unfolding its stainless petals to the smiling
heavens, the emblem of life and resurrection.