e had escaped from. Down, down he went, making more
turns than he wished for, from a height of several miles.

The first moment he had to look about him, Grasshopper, in the shape of
a big brant, was aware that he was jammed into a large hollow tree. To
get backward or forward was out of the question, and there, in spite of
himself, was Grasshopper forced to tarry till his brant life was ended
by starvation, when, his spirit being at liberty, he was once more a
human being.

As he journeyed on in search of further adventures, Grasshopper came to
a lodge in which were two old men, with heads white from extreme age.
They were very fine old men to look at. There was such sweetness and
innocence in their features that Grasshopper would have enjoyed himself
very much at their lodge, if he had had no other entertainment than such
as the gazing upon the serene and happy faces of the two innocent old
men with heads white from extreme age afforded.

They treated him well, and he made known to them that he was going back
to his village, his friends and people, whereupon the two white-headed
old men very heartily wished him a good journey and abundance of
comfort in seeing his friends once more. They even arose, old and infirm
as they were, and tottering with exceeding difficulty to the door, were
at great pains to point out to him the exact course he should take; and
they called his attention to the circumstance that it was much shorter
and more direct than he would have taken himself. Ah! what merry
deceivers were these two old men with very white heads.

Grasshopper, with blessings showered on him until he was fairly out of
sight, set forth with good heart. He thought he heard loud laughter
resounding after him in the direction of the lodge of the two old men;
but it could not have been the two old men, for they were, certainly,
too old to laugh.

He walked briskly all day, and at night he had the satisfaction of
reaching a lodge in all respects like that which he had left in the
morning. There were two fine old men, and his treatment was in every
particular the same, even down to the parting blessing and the laughter
that followed him as he went his way.

After walking the third day, and coming to a lodge the same as before,
he was satisfied from the bearings of the course he had taken that he
had been journeying in a circle, and by a notch which he had cut in the
door-post that these were the same two old men, all along