The Deer, the Toad, and the Crow
The Crow set out for the mountain, where the Deer and the Toad were making a bet. “Let us try,” they said, “who can see the sun first in the morning.” The stakes were twenty-five Gadflies, and they asked the Crow to be a witness to the contest. In the morning they were ready to watch for the sun. The Toad was looking westward from the highest mountain, but the Deer looked to the east. The Toad said, “Look here, Brother Crow, I have already seen the sun starting,” and the Crow said to the Deer: “Brother Deer, you have lost. Give him the twenty-five Gadflies.” The Deer asked one day’s time to catch the Gadflies, but the Toad thought he was not going to pay him, and said to the Deer, “Let us have a race, that you may settle your bet.” The Deer readily consented to this, and a stone was put up as the goal. The Toad went away to call many other toads, and placed them at intervals toward the goal, and when the Deer arrived at the stone the Toad was already sitting on it, and said, “Brother Deer, you have lost.” And the Deer went away.
Then the Toad said to the Gadflies: “Go and sting the Deer much, that he may have to run quickly. If you will sting him much, I will never eat you.” The Gadflies were vexed with the Deer, because he had put them up on a bet, therefore they were very willing to sting the Deer, and they have been stinging him ever since.