ll day he walked, and in the evening he came to a peasant's
house. While he was wondering whether he should knock and demand shelter
for the night, he heard a great croaking of frogs in a ditch behind the
house. Stepping to the back he saw a very strange sight. Four frogs
were throwing a small bottle about from one to the other, making a great
croaking as they did so. Bobino listened for a few minutes, and then
knocked at the door of the house. It was opened by the peasant, who
asked him to come in and have some supper.

When the meal was over, his host told him that they were in great
trouble, as his eldest daughter was so ill, that they feared she could
not recover. A great doctor, who had been passing that way some time
before, had promised to send her some medicine that would have cured
her, but the servant to whom he had entrusted the medicine had let it
drop on the way back, and now there seemed no hope for the girl.

Then Bobino told the father of the small bottle he had seen the frogs
play with, and that he knew that was the medicine which the doctor had
sent to the girl. The peasant asked him how he could be sure of this,
and Bobino explained to him that he understood the language of animals,
and had heard what the frogs said as they tossed the bottle about. So
the peasant fetched the bottle from the ditch, and gave the medicine
to his daughter. In the morning she was much better, and the grateful
father did not know how to thank Bobino enough. But Bobino would accept
nothing from him, and having said good-bye, set out once more on his
wanderings.

One day, soon after this, he came upon two men resting under a tree in
the heat of the day. Being tired he stretched himself on the ground at
no great distance from them, and soon they all three began to talk to
one another. In the course of conversation, Bobino asked the two men
where they were going; and they replied that they were on their way to a
neighbouring town, where, that day, a new ruler was to be chosen by the
people.

While they were still talking, some sparrows settled on the tree under
which they were lying. Bobino was silent, and appeared to be listening
attentively. At the end of a few minutes he said to his companions, 'Do
you know what those sparrows are saying? They are saying that to-day one
of us will be chosen ruler of that town.'

The men said nothing, but looked at each other. A few minutes later,
seeing that Bobino had fallen asleep, th