he sea, or
books, for there was nobody who could read them.

There was hardly anything but trees.

[Illustration]

But then of trees there were plenty. They stood everywhere from coast to
coast, mirrored themselves in every river and lake and stretched their
mighty branches up into the sky. They stooped over the sea-shore, dipped
their branches in the black water of the marshes and looked haughtily
over the land from the tall hills.

[Illustration]

They all knew one another, for they belonged to one big family and they
were proud of it:

"We are all oak-trees," they said and drew themselves up. "We own the
land and we govern it."

And they were quite right, for there were only very few people at that
time. Otherwise there was nothing but wild animals. The bear, the wolf
and the fox went hunting, while the deer grazed by the edge of the
marsh.

The wood-mouse sat outside her hole and ate acorns and the beaver built
his ingenious house on the river-bank.

2

[Illustration]

Then, one day, the bear came trudging along and lay down at full length
under a great oak-tree.

"Are you there again, you robber?" said the oak and shook a heap of
withered leaves over him.

[Illustration: 'YOU REALLY OUGHT NOT TO BE SO WASTEFUL WITH YOUR LEAVES,
OLD FRIEND,' SAID THE BEAR, LICKING HIS PAWS.]

"You really ought not to be so wasteful with your leaves, old friend,"
said the bear, licking his paws. "They are the only thing you have to
keep off the sun with."

"If you don't like me, you can go," replied the oak, proudly. "I am lord
of the land and, look where you may, you will find none but my
brothers."

"True enough," growled the bear. "That's just the tiresome part of it.
I've been for a little trip abroad, you see, and have been a bit spoilt.
That was in a country down south. I took a nap under the beech-trees
there. They are tall, slender trees, not crooked old fellows like you.
And their tops are so dense that the sunbeams can't pierce through them
at all. It was a real delight to sleep there of an afternoon, believe
me."

"Beech-trees?" asked the oak, curiously. "What are they?"

"You might wish that you were half so handsome as a beech-tree," said
the bear. "But I'm not going to gossip with you any more just now. I've
had to trot over a mile in front of a confounded hunter, who caught me
on one of my hind-legs with an arrow. Now I want to sleep; and perhaps
you will be so kind as to provide me with re