and called, till wolves and foxes
and all sorts of other creatures all came running to see what was the
matter.

'How DID you get under that rock?' asked they, making a ring round him;
but they had to repeat their question several times before the wolverine
would answer, for he, like many other persons, found it hard to confess
that he had brought his troubles on himself.

'Well, I was dull, and wanted someone to play with me,' he said at last,
in sulky voice, 'and I challenged the rock to catch me. Of course I
thought I could run the fastest; but I tripped, and it rolled on me. It
was just an accident.'

'It serves you right for being so silly,' said they; but they pushed and
hauled at the rock for a long time without making it move an inch.

'You are no good at all,' cried the wolverine crossly, for it was
suffering great pain, 'and if you cannot get me free, I shall see what
my friends the lightning and thunder can do.' And he called loudly to
the lightning to come and help him as quickly as possible.

In a few minutes a dark cloud came rolling up the sky, giving out such
terrific claps of thunder that the wolves and the foxes and all the
other creatures ran helter-skelter in all directions. But, frightened
though they were, they did not forget to beg the lightning to take off
the wolverine's coat and to free his legs, but to be careful not to hurt
him. So the lightning disappeared into the cloud for a moment to gather
up fresh strength, and then came rushing down, right upon the rock,
which it sent flying in all directions, and took the wolverine's coat so
neatly that, though it was torn into tiny shreds, the wolverine himself
was quite unharmed.

'That was rather clumsy of you,' said he, standing up naked in his
flesh. 'Surely you could have split the rock without tearing my coat
to bits!' And he stooped down to pick up the pieces. It took him a long
time, for there were a great many of them, but at last he had them all
in his hand.

'I'll go to my sister the frog,' he thought to himself, 'and she will
sew them together for me'; and he set off at once for the swamp in which
his sister lived.

'Will you sew my coat together? I had an unlucky accident, and it is
quite impossible to wear,' he said, when he found her.

'With pleasure,' she answered, for she had always been taught to be
polite; and getting her needle and thread she began to fit the pieces.
But though she was very good-natured, she was not ve