wolverine:

'Get off, get off! can't you see that you are on my legs?'

[Illustration: ALL THE ANIMALS TRY TO GET THE ROCK OFF WOLVERINE'S
LEGS]

'Why did you not leave me alone?' asked the rock. 'I did not want to
move--I hate moving. But you _would_ have it, and I certainly sha'n't
move now till I am forced to.'

'I will call my brothers,' answered the wolverine. 'There are many of
them in the forest, and you will soon see that they are stronger than
you.' And he called, and called, 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 a 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 the 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 off 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 las