it said.

"I will, if you'll take me to a stile," said Cask.

"Part of the way, then," said the squirrel. It hopped along and the
soldier followed, until all at once it had vanished.

Then a hedgehog came rustling along.

"Come with me and I'll show you the stile," it said.

"Go with you? not if I know it."

But in spite of his remark the hedgehog followed him.

Next an adder joined them. It was very genteel; it lisped and could
twist itself into a knot.

"Follow me," it said, "_I_ will show you the stile."

"I follow," said Cask.

"But you mutht be genteel; you muthtn't t stread as me. I like nithe
people."

"Well, a soldier isn't exactly genteel," said Cask, "but I'm not so
terribly uncouth."

"Tread on it," said the hedgehog, "else it will bite you, ever so
genteely."

The adder reared its neck and rustled away.

"Stop!" shouted the hedgehog, attacking the snake. "I am not as genteel
as you are, but I show my bristles openly, I do!"

And then it killed the snake and disappeared.

Now the soldier was alone in the wood and very sorry he felt that he had
rejected the society of the prickly hedgehog.

It had grown dark, but the crescent of the moon shone between the birch
leaves, and it was quite still.

The soldier fancied that he could see a big yellow hand moving backwards
and forwards. He went close up to it, and then he saw that it was a
yellow leaf, which seemed to gesticulate with its fingers, although
nobody could possibly understand what it wanted to say.

As he stood there, watching it, he heard an asp trembling:

"Huh! I'm so cold," said the asp, "for my feet are wet, and I _am_ so
frightened."

"What are you frightened of?" asked the soldier.

"Well, of the dwarf who is sitting in the mountain."

Now the soldier realised what the maple leaf meant, and there was
no doubt about it, he saw a dwarf sitting in the mountain, cooking
porridge.

"Who are you?" asked the dwarf.

"I belong to the Vaestgotadal regiment; where do you come from?"

"I," said the dwarf, "I am in the Alleberg."

"The Alleberg is in the Vaestgota country," answered the soldier.

"We have removed it to this place," replied the dwarf.

"You lie!" exclaimed the soldier, seized the pot by its handle and threw
the porridge into the fire.

"Now we'll have a look at the mouse-hole," he said, and went right into
the mountain.

There he found a giant sitting by a huge fire, making an iron bar
red-hot.

"Good