, and,
as usual, the dragon went with him.

Before you could count three he had pulled up more trees than Stan could
have cut down in a lifetime, and had arranged them neatly in rows. When
the dragon had finished, Stan began to look about him, and, choosing the
biggest of the trees, he climbed up it, and, breaking off a long rope of
wild vine, bound the top of the tree to the one next it. And so he did
to a whole line of trees.

'What are you doing there?' asked the dragon.

'You can see for yourself,' answered Stan, going quietly on with his
work.

'Why are you tying the trees together?'

'Not to give myself unnecessary work; when I pull up one, all the others
will come up too.'

'But how will you carry them home?'

'Dear me! don't you understand that I am going to take the whole forest
back with me?' said Stan, tying two other trees as he spoke.

'I'll tell you what,' cried the dragon, trembling with fear at the
thought of such a thing; 'let me carry the wood for you, and you shall
have seven times seven sacks full of ducats.'

'You are a good fellow, and I agree to your proposal,' answered Stan,
and the dragon carried the wood.

Now the three days' service which were to be reckoned as a year were
over, and the only thing that disturbed Stan was, how to get all those
ducats back to his home!

In the evening the dragon and his mother had a long talk, but Stan heard
every word through a crack in the ceiling.

'Woe be to us, mother,' said the dragon; 'this man will soon get us into
his power. Give him his money, and let us be rid of him.'

But the old mother was fond of money, and did not like this.

'Listen to me,' said she; 'you must murder him this very night.'

'I am afraid,' answered he.

'There is nothing to fear,' replied the old mother. 'When he is asleep
take the club, and hit him on the head with it. It is easily done.'

And so it would have been, had not Stan heard all about it. And when the
dragon and his mother had put out their lights, he took the pigs' trough
and filled it with earth, and placed it in his bed, and covered it with
clothes. Then he hid himself underneath, and began to snore loudly.

Very soon the dragon stole softly into the room, and gave a tremendous
blow on the spot where Stan's head should have been. Stan groaned loudly
from under the bed, and the dragon went away as softly as he had come.
Directly he had closed the door, Stan lifted out the pigs' trough, and
lay d