The Mongolian book "Uliger-un dalai", the "Sea of Parables" contains an abundance of little stories, from which the following fable is taken.
At a pond, there lived two large wild geese and a frog. There had been no rain for ages, and the pond was starting to dry up. But the two wild geese waited until the very last day before they decided to leave.
My dear friends, said the frog, please have pity on me, and take me with you somehow to a place where there's water. Yes, but how, said the wild geese, just tell us a way to do it, and we'll be pleased to oblige. Aha, said the frog, do you see this little wooden rod? I'll hold the middle of it in my mouth, you take the two ends in your beaks, and off we go! Good idea, said the two wild geese, and the three of them flew away.
In the countryside they were flying over, all the creatures, great and small, marvelled at the two intelligent wild geese high above them, and expressed their admiration vociferously. What a clever idea, brilliant, look at those clever geese!, they all cried.
But meanwhile the frog was bursting with self-importance and could no longer keep silent. It's my idea, I'm the clever one here, he cried, opening his mouth, and fell to the ground .....
