its contents.'

The Lapp did not quite like it, but the fox spoke with such an air that
his doubts melted away. He nodded, and stretched out his hand; the fox
put the bag into it, and unharnassed the reindeer he had chosen.

'Oh, I forgot!' he exclaimed, turning round, as he was about to drive
them in the opposite direction, 'you must be sure not to open the bag
until you have gone at least five miles, right on the other side of
those hills out there. If you do, you will find that all the gold and
silver has changed into a parcel of charred bones.' Then he whipped up
his reindeer, and was soon out of sight.

For some time the Lapp was satisfied with hearing the bones rattle,
and thinking to himself what a good bargain he had made, and of all the
things he would buy with the money. But, after a bit, this amusement
ceased to content him, and besides, what was the use of planning when
you did not know for certain how rich you were? Perhaps there might be a
great deal of silver and only a little gold in the bag; or a great deal
of gold, and only a little silver. Who could tell? He would not, of
course, take the money out to count it, for that might bring him bad
luck. But there could be no harm in just one peep! So he slowly broke
the seal, and untied the strings, and, behold, a heap of burnt bones lay
before him! In a minute he knew he had been tricked, and flinging
the bag to the ground in a rage, he ran after the fox as fast as his
snow-shoes would carry him.

Now the fox had guessed exactly what would happen, and was on the look
out. Directly he saw the little speck coming towards him, he wished that
the man's snow-shoes might break, and that very instant the Lapp's shoes
snapped in two. The Lapp did now know that this was the fox's work, but
he had to stop and fetch one of his other reindeer, which he mounted,
and set off again in pursuit of his enemy. The fox soon heard him
coming, and this time he wished that the reindeer might fall and break
its leg. And so it did; and the man felt it was a hopeless chase, and
that he was no match for the fox.

So the fox drove on in peace till he reached the cave where all his
stores were kept, and then he began to wonder whom he could get to help
him kill his reindeer, for though he could steal reindeer he was too
small to kill them. 'After all, it will be quite easy,' thought he,
and he bade a squirrel, who was watching him on a tree close by, take a
message to all the robb