the hole, so that the water mightn't run out. Then he put
the Walnut into his wallet, and ran down to his brothers.

"Well, now," said Peter and Paul, "have you found out where the water
comes from? A rare sight it must have been!"

"Oh, after all, it was only a hole it ran out of," said Youngling, and
the others laughed and made game of him again, but Youngling didn't
mind that a bit.

So when they had gone a little farther, they came to the King's
palace; but as every man in the kingdom had heard that he might win
the Princess and half the realm, if he could only fell the big oak and
dig the King's well, so many had come to try their luck that the oak
was now twice as stout and big as it had been at first, for you will
remember that two chips grew for every one they hewed out with their
axes.

So the King had now laid it down as a punishment that if anyone tried
and couldn't fell the oak, he should be put on a barren island, and
both his ears were to be clipped off. But the two brothers didn't let
themselves be frightened by this threat; they were quite sure they
could fell the oak, and Peter, as he was the eldest, was to try his
hand first; but it went with him as with all the rest who had hewn at
the oak: for every chip he cut two grew in its place. So the King's
men seized him, and clipped off both his ears, and put him out on the
island.

Now Paul was to try his luck, but he fared just the same! When he had
hewn two or three strokes, they began to see the oak grow, and so the
King's men seized him, too, and clipped his ears, and put him out on
the island; and his ears they clipped closer, because they said he
ought to have taken a lesson from his brother.

So now Youngling was to try.

"If you want to look like a marked sheep, we're quite ready to clip
your ears at once, and then you'll save yourself some trouble," said
the King, for he was angry with him for his brothers' sake.

"Well, I'd just like to try first," said Youngling, and so he got
leave. Then he took his Axe out of his wallet and fitted it to its
handle.

"Hew away!" said he to his Axe, and away it hewed, making the chips
fly again, so that it wasn't long before down came the oak.

When that was done, Youngling pulled out his Spade and fitted it to
its handle.

"Dig away!" said he to his Spade, and so the Spade began to dig and
delve till the earth and rock flew out in splinters, and he soon had
the well deep enough, you may believe.