mother, whom they acquainted how frightened
they were in the forest; speaking almost always all together. The good
folks were extremely glad to see their children once more at home,
and this joy continued while the ten crowns lasted; but when the money
was all gone, they fell again into their former uneasiness, and
resolved to lose them again; and, that they might be the surer of
doing it, to carry them at a much greater distance than before. They
could not talk of this so secretly, but they were overheard by Little
Thumb, who made account to get out of this difficulty as well as the
former; but though he got up betimes in the morning, to go and pick up
some little pebbles, he was disappointed; for he found the house-door
double-locked, and was at a stand what to do. When their father had
given each of them a piece of bread for their breakfast, he fancied he
might make use of this bread instead of the pebbles, by throwing it in
little bits all along the way they should pass; and so he put it up
into his pocket.

Their father and mother brought them into the thickest and most
obscure part of the forest; when, stealing away into a by-path, they
there left them. Little Thumb was not very uneasy at it; for he
thought he could easily find the way again, by means of his bread
which he had scattered all along as he came. But he was very much
surprised when he could not find so much as one crumb; the birds had
come and eaten it up every bit. They were now in great affliction, for
the farther they went, the more they were out of their way, and were
more and more bewildered in the forest.

Night now came on, and there arose a terrible high wind, which made
them dreadfully afraid. They fancied they heard on every side of them
the houling of wolves coming to eat them up; they scarce dared to
speak, or turn their heads. After this, it rained very hard, which wet
them to the skin; their feet slipped at every step they took, and they
fell into the mire, whence they got up in a very dirty pickle; their
hands were in a sorry state.

Little Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree, to see if he could
discover any thing; and having turned his head about on every side, he
saw at last a glimmering light, like that of a candle, but a long way
from the forest. He came down, and, when upon the ground, he could see
it no more, which grieved him sadly. However, having walked for some
time with his brothers towards that side on which he had seen