u have found it, Hassebu, it is you who must go inside and dip
out the honey and give to us, and we will take it to the town and sell
it, and will divide the money with you.'

The following day each man brought every bowl and vessel he could find
at home, and Hassebu filled them all with honey. And this he did every
day for three months.

At the end of that time the honey was very nearly finished, and there
was only a little left, quite at the bottom, and that was very deep
down, so deep that it seemed as if it must be right in the middle of the
earth. Seeing this, the men said to Hassebu, 'We will put a rope under
your arms, and let you down, so that you may scrape up all the honey
that is left, and when you have done we will lower the rope again, and
you shall make it fast, and we will draw you up.'

'Very well,' answered the boy, and he went down, and he scraped and
scraped till there was not so much honey left as would cover the point
of a needle. 'Now I am ready!' he cried; but they consulted together and
said, 'Let us leave him there inside the pit, and take his share of the
money, and we will tell his mother, "Your son was caught by a lion and
carried off into the forest, and we tried to follow him, but could not."'

Then they arose and went into the town and told his mother as they had
agreed, and she wept much and made her mourning for many months. And
when the men were dividing the money, one said, 'Let us send a little to
our friend's mother,' and they sent some to her; and every day one took
her rice, and one oil; one took her meat, and one took her cloth, every
day.

It did not take long for Hassebu to find out that his companions had
left him to die in the pit, but he had a brave heart, and hoped that
he might be able to find a way out for himself. So he at once began to
explore the pit and found it ran back a long way underground. And by
night he slept, and by day he took a little of the honey he had gathered
and ate it; and so many days passed by.

One morning, while he was sitting on a rock having his breakfast, a
large scorpion dropped down at his feet, and he took a stone and killed
it, fearing it would sting him. Then suddenly the thought darted into
his head, 'This scorpion must have come from somewhere! Perhaps there is
a hole. I will go and look for it,' and he felt all round the walls of
the pit till he found a very little hole in the roof of the pit, with
a tiny glimmer of light at the far