Part 40 (1/2)

He came back after a while with the hind leg of a horse.

”This will be enough for them to start on,” he said.

The Fox shook his head.

”I'm afraid it won't last them very long. They're beautiful healthy children with fine appet.i.tes.”

”Poor little dears!” Pekka said. ”Let me see them.”

”Not just now!” Mikko insisted. ”They're asleep and mustn't be disturbed. Go out hunting again and the next time you come home you shall see them.”

Pekka felt that the Fox must be a very good nurse indeed to be so strict. So he went off hunting again without seeing his children.

As soon as he was gone Mikko, the rascal, ate up all the horse meat without giving the cubs one bite and then, as he was still hungry, he ate one of the cubs. The next day he ate another cub, and the day following he ate the last of them. He was just finis.h.i.+ng that last cub when the Wolf came home and called in at the door:

”Now, nurse, here I am come home to see my dear children! They're well, aren't they?”

”Very well!” the Fox declared. ”But they've grown so big under my good care that the house isn't large enough now to hold them and you and me at the same time. If you're coming in, I must get out first.”

So the Wolf stood aside as the Fox came out and scampered away.

Then the Wolf went in and of course all he could find of his dear children were their bones.

”You faithless, faithless nurse!” he cried.

In awful rage he ran after Mikko and was about to overtake him when Mikko slipped into a crevice in the rocks. Only one paw stuck out. The Wolf pounced on this paw and began gnawing it.

”Say, Pekka, have you gone crazy?” the Fox asked. ”What do you think you're doing biting that old root? I hope you don't think it's one of my paws. I'm sitting on all four paws.”

The Wolf looked up to see whether this was true and, quick as a flash, Mikko, the rascal, drew in his paw.

So the poor old Wolf, fooled again, went sadly home.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Of course the instant he opened his mouth the Grouse flew away_]

[Decoration]

ADVENTURE XII

THE BEAR SAYS _NORTH_

[Decoration]

One day while Osmo, the Bear, was prowling about the woods he caught a Grouse.

”Pretty good!” he thought to himself. ”Wouldn't the other animals be surprised if they knew old Osmo had caught a Grouse!”

He was so proud of his feat that he wanted all the world to know of it. So, holding the Grouse carefully in his teeth without injuring it, he began parading up and down the forest ways.

”They'll all certainly envy me this nice plump Grouse,” he thought.