led against a hard stone,
which he picked up, and beneath it lay three splinters of wood, which he
also picked up. He knocked at the stable door and it opened at once. He
threw down the three little bits of bread and a hare came out and
ate them. He caught the hare. Then the Eagle told him to pluck three
feathers out of its tail, and put in the hare, the stone, the splinters
of wood and himself instead of them, and then he would be able to carry
them all home.

When the Eagle had flown a long way it alighted on a stone.

'Do you see anything?' it asked.

'Yes; I see a flock of crows coming flying after us,' said the man.

'Then we shall do well to fly on a little farther,' said the Eagle, and
off it set.

In a short time it asked again, 'Do you see anything now?'

'Yes; now the crows are close behind us,' said the man.

'Then throw down the three feathers which you plucked out of his head,'
said the Eagle.

So the man did this, and no sooner had he flung them down than the
feathers became a flock of ravens, which chased the crows home again.
Then the Eagle flew on much farther with the man, but at length it
alighted on a stone for a while.

'Do you see anything?' it said.

'I am not quite certain,' said the man, 'but I think I see something
coming in the far distance.'

'Then we shall do well to fly on a little farther,' said the Eagle, and
away it went.

'Do you see anything now?' it said, after some time had gone by.

'Yes; now they are close behind us,' said the man.

'Then throw down the splinters of wood which you took from beneath the
gray stone by the stable door,' said the Eagle. The man did this, and no
sooner had he flung them down than they grew up into a great thick wood,
and Farmer Weatherbeard had to go home for an axe to cut his way through
it. So the Eagle flew on a long, long way, but then it grew tired and
sat down on a fir tree.

'Do you see anything?' it asked.

'Yes; I am not quite certain,' said the man, 'but I think I can catch a
glimpse of something far, far away.'

'Then we shall do well to fly on a little farther,' said the Eagle, and
it set off again.

'Do you see anything now?' it said after some time had gone by.

'Yes; he is close behind us now,' said the man.

'Then you must fling down the great stone which you took away from the
stable door,' said the Eagle.

The man did so, and it turned into a great high mountain of stone, which
Farmer Weatherbeard had to bre