n on his way to a fair with five shillings in
his pocket. As he went he saw some little boys beating a poor mouse they
had just caught.

"Come, boys," says he, "do not be so cruel. Sell me your mouse for
sixpence, and go off and buy some sweets."

They gave him the mouse, and he let the poor little beast go. He had not
gone far when he met a fresh set of boys teasing the life out of a poor
weasel.

Well, he bought him off for a shilling and let him go. The third
creature he saved, from a crowd of cruel young men, was an ass, but he
had to give a whole half-crown to get him off. "Now," says poor Neddy,
"you may as well take me with you. I'll be of some use, I think, for
when you are tired you can get up on my back." "With all my heart," said
Jack, for that was the young man's name.

The day was very hot, and the boy sat under a tree to enjoy the shade.
As soon as he did he fell asleep, but he was soon awakened by a
wicked-looking giant and his two servants. "How dare you let your ass
trespass in my field," cried he, "and do such mischief." "I had no
notion that he had done anything of the kind." "No notion? I'll notion
you, then. Bring out that chest," said he to one of his servants, and
before you could wink they had tied the poor boy, hand and foot, with a
stout rope, thrown him into the chest, and tossed the chest into the
river. Then they all went away but poor Neddy, till who should come up
but the weasel and the mouse, and they asked him what was the matter. So
the ass told them his story.

"Oh," said the weasel, "he must be the same boy that saved the mouse and
myself. Had he a brown patch in the arm of his coat?" "The very same."
"Come, then," said the weasel, "and let us try and get him out of the
river." "By all means," said the others. So the weasel got on the ass's
back and the mouse got into his ear, and away they went. They had not
gone far when they saw the chest, which had been stopped among the
rushes at the end of a little island.

In they went, and the weasel and the mouse gnawed the rope till they had
set their master free.

Well, they were all very glad, and were having a great talk about the
giant and his men, when what should the weasel spy but an egg, with the
most lovely colours on the shell, lying down in the shallow water. It
was not long before he had fished it out, and Jack kept turning it round
and round and praising it.

"Oh, my dear friends," said he to the ass, the mouse, and th