ot, and no sooner had he reached the wood than he
met a bear.

"Friend bear," said Ashpot, "will you help me?"

"Willingly," answered the bear. "Get up on my back."

And Ashpot mounted the bear's back and rode off. Presently they met
a wolf.

"Friend wolf," said Ashpot, "will you do some work for me ?"

"Willingly," answered the wolf.

"Then jump up behind," said Ashpot, and the three went on deeper into
the wood.

They next met a fox, and then a hare, both of whom were enlisted into
Ashpot's service, and, mounted on the back of the bear, were swiftly
carried off to the giant's abode.

"Good-day, Mr. Giant!" said they.

"Scratch my back!" roared the giant, who lay stretched in front of
the fire warming himself.

The hare immediately climbed up and began to scratch as desired; but
the giant knocked him over, and down he fell on to the hearth-stone,
breaking off his fore-legs, since which time all hares have had
short fore-legs.

The fox next clambered up to scratch the giant's back, but he was
served like the hare. Then the wolf's turn came, but the giant said
that he was no better at scratching than the others.

"_You_ scratch me!" shouted the giant, turning impatiently to the bear.

"All right," answered Bruin; "I know all about scratching," and he
forthwith dug his claws into the giant's back and ripped it into a
thousand pieces.

Then all the beasts danced on the dead body of the monster, and
Ashpot recovered his sister and took her home, carrying off, at the
same time, all the giant's gold and silver. The bear and the wolf
burst into the cattle-sheds and devoured all the cows and sheep,
the fox feasted in the henroost, while the hare had the free run of
the oatfield. So everyone was satisfied.

The other story is also about Ashpot, whose two elder brothers
still treated him very badly, and eventually turned him out of his
home. Poor Ashpot wandered away up into the mountains, where he met
a huge giant. At first he was terribly afraid, but after a little
while he told the giant what had happened to him, and asked him if
he could find a job for him.

"You are just the very man I want," said the giant. "Come along
with me."

The first work to be done was to make a fire to brew some ale, so they
went off together to the forest to cut firewood. The giant carried a
club in place of an axe, and when they came to a large birch-tree he
asked Ashpot whether he would like to club the tree down or cl