as saucers.

'Look!' he suddenly exclaimed with a cry, 'Look! I am sure I felt her
body move! And now her nostrils are twitching. Ah! the whistle has not
lost its power after all,' and stooping down, Toueno whistled more
loudly than before, so that the old woman's feet and hands showed signs
of life, and she soon was able to lift her head.

The farmers were so astonished at her restoration, that it was some time
before they could speak. At length the eldest turned to the boy and
said:

'Now listen to me. There is no manner of doubt that you are a young
villain. You sold us a ram knowing full well that it was a wolf, and we
came here to-day to pay you out for it. But if you will give us that
whistle, we will pardon what you have done, and will leave you alone.'

'It is my only treasure, and I set great store by it,' answered the
boy, pretending to hesitate. 'But as you wish for it so much, well, I
suppose I can't refuse,' and he held out the whistle, which the eldest
brother put in his pocket.

* * * * *

Armed with the precious whistle, the three brothers returned home full
of joy, and as they went the youngest said to the others, 'I have such a
good idea! Our wives are all lazy and grumbling, and make our lives a
burden. Let us give them a lesson, and kill them as soon as we get in.
Of course we can restore them to life at once, but they will have had a
rare fright.'

'Ah, how clever you are,' answered the other two. 'Nobody else would
have thought of that.'

So gaily the three husbands knocked down their three wives, who fell
dead to the ground. Then one by one the men tried the whistle, and blew
so loudly that it seemed as if their lungs would burst, but the women
lay stark and stiff and never moved an eyelid. The husbands grew pale
and cold, for they had never dreamed of this, nor meant any harm, and
after a while they understood that their efforts were of no use, and
that once more the boy had tricked them. With stern faces they rose to
their feet, and taking a large sack they retraced their steps to the
hut.

This time there was no escape. Toueno had been asleep, and only opened
his eyes as they entered. Without a word on either side they thrust him
into the sack, and tying up the mouth, the eldest threw it over his
shoulders. After that they all set out to the river, where they intended
to drown the boy.

But the river was a long way off, and the day was very hot and A