he found he was too late,
for the bear had come round by another path, and guessing where his
enemy was began to scratch at the roots of the tree. The fox made
himself as small as he could, but a scrap of his tail peeped out, and
the bear seized it and held it tight. Then the fox dug his claws into
the ground, but he was not strong enough to pull against the bear,
and slowly he was dragged forth and his body flung over the bear's
neck. In this manner they set out down the road, the fox's tail being
always in the bear's mouth.

After they had gone some way, they passed a tree-stump, on which a
bright coloured woodpecker was tapping.

'Ah! those were better times when I used to paint all the birds such
gay colours,' sighed the fox.

'What are you saying, old fellow?' asked the bear.

'I? Oh, I was saying nothing,' answered the fox drearily. 'Just carry
me to your cave and eat me up as quick as you can.'

The bear was silent, and thought of his supper; and the two continued
their journey till they reached another tree with a woodpecker tapping
on it.

'Ah! those were better times when I used to paint all the birds such
gay colours,' said the fox again to himself.

'Couldn't you paint me too?' asked the bear suddenly.

But the fox shook his head; for he was always acting, even if no one
was there to see him do it.

'You bear pain so badly,' he replied, in a thoughtful voice, 'and you
are impatient besides, and could never put up with all that is
necessary. Why, you would first have to dig a pit, and then twist
ropes of willow, and drive in posts and fill the hole with pitch, and,
last of all, set it on fire. Oh, no; you would never be able to do all
that.'

'It does not matter a straw how hard the work is,' answered the bear
eagerly, 'I will do it every bit.' And as he spoke he began tearing up
the earth so fast that soon a deep pit was ready, deep enough to hold
him.

'That is all right,' said the fox at last, 'I see I was mistaken in
you. Now sit here, and I will bind you.' So the bear sat down on the
edge of the pit, and the fox sprang on his back, which he crossed with
the willow ropes, and then set fire to the pitch. It burnt up in an
instant, and caught the bands of willow and the bear's rough hair; but
he did not stir, for he thought that the fox was rubbing the bright
colours into his skin, and that he would soon be as beautiful as a
whole meadow of flowers. But when the fire grew hotter still he move