he ropes that bound the children to the tree.

"Stop that!" cried the King Squirrel, chattering and whisking about.
"You mustn't release our prisoners. You have no right to."

But Jack paid no attention to the protest. His wooden fingers were
awkward and it took him some time to untie the ropes. When at last he
succeeded, the tree was full of squirrels, called together by their
King, and they were furious at losing their prisoners. From the tree
they began to hurl nuts at the Pumpkinhead, who laughed at them as he
helped the two children to their feet.

[Illustration]

Now, at the top of this tree was a big dead limb, and so many squirrels
gathered upon it that suddenly it broke away and fell to the ground.
Poor Jack was standing directly under it and when the limb struck him it
smashed his pumpkin head into a pulpy mass and sent Jack's wooden form
tumbling, to stop with a bump against a tree a dozen feet away.

He sat up, a moment afterward, but when he felt for his head it was
gone. He could not see; neither could he speak. It was perhaps the
greatest misfortune that could have happened to Jack Pumpkinhead, and
the squirrels were delighted. They danced around in the tree in great
glee as they saw Jack's plight.

[Illustration]

The boy and girl were indeed free, but their protector was ruined. The
Sawhorse was there, however, and in his way he was wise. He had seen
the accident and knew that the smashed pumpkin would never again serve
Jack as a head. So he said to the children, who were frightened at this
accident to their new found friend:

"Pick up the Pumpkinhead's body and set it on my saddle. Then mount
behind it and hold on. We must get out of this forest as soon as we can,
or the squirrels may capture you again. I must guess at the right path,
for Jack's map is no longer of any use to him since that limb destroyed
his head."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

The two children lifted Jack's body, which was not at all heavy, and
placed it upon the saddle. Then they climbed up behind it and the
Sawhorse immediately turned and trotted back along the path he had
come, bearing all three with ease. However, when the path began to
branch into many paths, all following different directions, the wooden
animal became puzzled and soon was wandering aimlessly about, without
any hope of finding the right way. Toward evening they came upon a fine
fruit tree, which furnished the children a supper, and at night the