hiding-place, if their hunger was ever so
great, or the game ever so delicious. 'We are not so foolish as to risk
our lives,' they said to each other proudly. But at length there came
a day when, in spite of their prudence, they seemed likely to die of
starvation, for no more food was to be had. Something had to be done,
but they did not know what.

Suddenly a bright thought struck the tanuki. 'I have got a plan,' he
cried joyfully to his wife. 'I will pretend to be dead, and you must
change yourself into a man, and take me to the village for sale. It will
be easy to find a buyer, tanukis' skins are always wanted; then buy
some food with the money and come home again. I will manage to escape
somehow, so do not worry about me.'

The fox laughed with delight, and rubbed her paws together with
satisfaction. 'Well, next time I will go,' she said, 'and you can sell
me.' And then she changed herself into a man, and picking up the stiff
body of the tanuki, set off towards the village. She found him rather
heavy, but it would never have done to let him walk through the wood and
risk his being seen by somebody.

As the tanaki had foretold, buyers were many, and the fox handed him
over to the person who offered the largest price, and hurried to get
some food with the money. The buyer took the tanuki back to his house,
and throwing him into a corner went out. Directly the tanaki found he
was alone, he crept cautiously through a chink of the window, thinking,
as he did so, how lucky it was that he was not a fox, and was able to
climb. Once outside, he hid himself in a ditch till it grew dusk, and
then galloped away into the forest.

While the food lasted they were all three as happy as kings; but there
soon arrived a day when the larder was as empty as ever. 'It is my turn
now to pretend to be dead,' cried the fox. So the tanuki changed himself
into a peasant, and started for the village, with his wife's body
hanging over his shoulder. A buyer was not long in coming forward, and
while they were making the bargain a wicked thought darted into the
tanuki's head, that if he got rid of the fox there would be more food
for him and his son. So as he put the money in his pocket he whispered
softly to the buyer that the fox was not really dead, and that if he did
not take care she might run away from him. The man did not need twice
telling. He gave the poor fox a blow on the head, which put an end to
her, and the wicked tanuki went sm