One day, Little Mouse says, "I must see these Far Off Lands!"

That very morning, he set off upon his journey. He would travel most of the day, stopping to eat and rest.

Little Mouse came upon a riverbank and as he gazed across the expanse of it, he said out loud, "Oh, how will I ever cross this river?"

From behind him, Little Mouse heard a voice, a kind of gravelly voice. It said to him, "Don't you know how to swim?" Then a frog appeared from behind some cattails.

Little Mouse asked a question in return. "What is swim?"

The frog jumped into the water, kicked her legs and showed Little Mouse what swimming was, but Little Mouse could not swim. The frog asked Little Mouse, "Why do you wish to cross the river anyway?"

So Little Mouse told the story of the Far Off Lands to the frog and of his desire to seek the Far Off Lands. He said at the end, "I simply must see it!"

The frog says to Little Mouse, "My name is Magic Frog and I will help you. You need to squat low and then jump as far as you can.”

Little Mouse squats low and jumps. His legs felt really funny and much stronger. Then he jumped and he jumped higher and further than he had ever jumped before. "Why thank you Magic Frog! That was good medicine you gave me.”

Magic Frog says to Little Mouse, "You will experience many hardships on your journey to the Far Off Lands, but if you keep hope alive within you, you will reach them. I give you a new name; from now on you shall be called Jumping Mouse.”

Magic Frog waved and jumped back into the cattails. Jumping Mouse squats down and jumps upward and lands across the river. He turns to wave at Magic Frog, but she was already gone.

He continued on his journey till nightfall, still hearing the words, "Keep hope alive within you.” He dug a hole and went to sleep.

The next day Jumping Mouse continues on his journey. He walks and walks. He sees a huge boulder before him, but as he approaches it he realizes it is not a boulder at all, but a buffalo lying on the ground. "My friend", says Jumping Mouse, "Why are you lying on the ground?”

"I am dying", said Buffalo. "I drank from a pool of poisoned water and now I have lost my sight. I cannot find the cool waters to drink or the sweet grass to eat. I am lying here waiting for the end.”

Jumping Mouse says, "I am Jumping Mouse. My friend Magic Frog gave me some medicine powers. I am not as strong as her, but I will share them with you. You are now called, Eyes of the Mouse.”

No sooner than Jumping Mouse had said the words, the buffalo stood and blinked his eyes in amazement as he could again see. He snorted with happiness.

Jumping Mouse heard this, but he could not see it, for he had given his sight away. "Why thank you my small friend,” said Eyes of the Mouse. "This is a wonderful gift you have given me. Climb onto my back and I will carry you to the edge of the prairie.”

Jumping Mouse climbed upon the back of the buffalo and thus his journey to the Far Off Lands began again. When they arrived at the edge of the prairie, Eyes of the Mouse said to Jumping Mouse, "This is as far as I can go. I am a creature of the prairie. How will you make it over the mountains if you cannot see?”

Jumping Mouse said, "There will be a way; I have hope alive within me.” He waved goodbye to the buffalo and started toward the mountains. He walked a ways then dug a hole and went to sleep.

He awoke the next day with the sun and felt his way along the mountain path, sniffing for and occasionally nibbling on the small grasses. Suddenly, he bumped into something. He felt fur beneath his little paws. He sniffed and realized he had stumbled upon a wolf. "H-h-hello? I am Jumping Mouse, who are you?”

The wolf replied, "I am wolf.”

Jumping Mouse asked the wolf, "Why are you lying upon the path this way?”

The wolf sighed, "I was once a very proud creature with a very good sense of smell. Because I was too proud I have had this gift taken away from me. I have learned to be humble, but now I cannot smell to find food to eat. I will surely die.”

Jumping Mouse was saddened by this story from the wolf. "I have a little bit of medicine left,” he said. "Please let me help you. I name you Nose of a Mouse.”

The wolf breathed in. He sniffed the mountain air. He howled with joy and danced in a circle. "I can smell the trees and flowers again!"

Jumping Mouse could hear the wolf's pleasure, but he could not smell the trees and flowers as he had given away his sense of smell.

"This is truly a wonderful gift you have given me,” said Nose of a Mouse. "You must let me repay you. What can I do?”

Jumping Mouse told the wolf his story of the Far Off Lands.

The wolf replied, "Climb upon my back and I will carry you over the mountain to the Far Off Lands.”

Jumping Mouse climbed upon wolf's back and was carried over the vast mountain range. Soon the wolf knelt so Jumping Mouse could climb down. "Little friend, I am a creature of the mountains and can carry you no further. I must stay here. How will you continue on without being able to smell or see?”

Jumping Mouse said, "I have the hope alive inside me. There will be a way.”

They said goodbye and Nose of the Mouse returned to his mountain home.

"I am here at last," Jumping Mouse said. "I hear the leaves rustling through the trees. The sun warms my body. I feel the wind, but I am different now. How will I ever manage?" And Jumping Mouse begins to cry.

"Jumping Mouse,” he heard in a gravelly voice.

“M-Magic Frog, is..is that you?”

"Yes, my friend, it is Magic Frog. You have suffered greatly on your long journey and experienced many hardships. But it was your unselfish heart and your generosity that helped to bring you here. You have nothing to fear my little friend.” Magic Frog said to Jumping Mouse, "Jump high, Jumping Mouse, jump high!”

Jumping Mouse squatted really low and jumped. As he leapt up he felt himself changing. His paws stretched out and became very powerful. He moved them up and down and soon he was feeling the wind streaming over him and under him. He looked down and he could see the mountains far below. He breathed in and could smell the pines and the earth.