er to recompense the little sentry for his kindness. So he put his
hand in his pocket and pulled out the crumbs.

"Here you are, mousekin," he said. "That's for your trouble!"

Then the mouse thanked him kindly and asked if he would take him along
to the King of the Frogs.

"Not I," says Jack. "I should get into trouble with your King."

But the mousekin insisted. "I may be of some use to you," it said. So it
ran up the horse's hind leg and up by its tail and hid in Jack's pocket.
And the horse set off at a hard gallop, for it didn't half like the
mouse running over it.

So at last Jack came to the palace of the King of all the Frogs, and
there at the front gate was a frog doing sentry in a fine coat of mail
and a brass helmet. And the frog sentry was for not letting Jack in; but
the mouse called out that they came from the King of all the Mice and
must be let in without delay. So they were taken to the King's chamber,
where he sate surrounded by frog courtiers in fine clothes; but alas!
he had heard nothing of the Castle on golden pillars, and though he
summoned all the frogs of all the world to a Grand Assembly next
morning, they all answered his question with:

"_Kro kro, Kro kro_"

which every one knows stands for "No" in frog language.

So the King said to Jack, "There remains but one thing. You must go and
ask my eldest brother, the King of all the Birds. His subjects are
always on the wing, so mayhap they have seen something. Leave the horse
you are riding here, and take one of mine. It knows the way, and will
carry you safe."

So Jack set off, and being a kind-hearted lad he gave the frog sentry,
whom he met coming away from his guard, some crumbs he had saved from
his dinner. And the frog asked leave to go with him, and when Jack
refused to take him he just gave one hop on to the stirrup, and a second
hop on to the crupper, and the next hop he was in Jack's other pocket.

Then the horse galloped away like lightning, for it didn't like the
slimy frog coming down "plop" on its back.

Well, after a time, Jack came to the palace of the King of all the
Birds, and there at the front gate were a sparrow and a crow marching up
and down with matchlocks on their shoulders. Now at this Jack laughed
fit to split, and the mouse and the frog from his pockets called out:

"We come from the King! Sirrahs! Let us pass."

So that the sentries were right mazed, and let them pass in without more
ado.

But when t