you
will find yourself in a trice on the opposite shore.'

'No, thank you,' answered the fox, 'your back is much too weak for
me. I should break it.'

'Try mine,' said the eel, who had wriggled to the front.

'No, thank you,' replied the fox again, 'I should slip over your head
and be drowned.'

'You won't slip on _my_ back,' said the perch, coming forward.

'No; but you are really _too_ rough,' returned the fox.

'Well, you can have no fault to find with _me_,' put in the trout.

'Good gracious! are _you_ here?' exclaimed the fox. 'But I'm afraid to
trust myself to you either.'

At this moment a fine salmon swam slowly up.

'Ah, yes, you are the person I want,' said the fox; 'but come near, so
that I may get on your back, without wetting my feet.'

So the salmon swam close under the island, and when he was touching it
the fox seized him in his claws and drew him out of the water, and put
him on a spit, while he kindled a fire to cook him by. When everything
was ready, and the water in the pot was getting hot, he popped him in,
and waited till he thought the salmon was nearly boiled. But as he
stooped down the water gave a sudden fizzle, and splashed into the
fox's eyes, blinding him. He started backwards with a cry of pain, and
sat still for some minutes, rocking himself to and fro. When he was a
little better he rose and walked down a road till he met a grouse, who
stopped and asked what was the matter.

'Have you a pair of eyes anywhere about you?' asked the fox politely.

'No, I am afraid I haven't,' answered the grouse, and passed on.

A little while after the fox heard the buzzing of an early bee, whom a
gleam of sun had tempted out.

'Do you happen to have an extra pair of eyes anywhere?' asked the
fox.

'I am sorry to say I have only those I am using,' replied the bee. And
the fox went on till he nearly fell over an asp who was gliding across
the road.

'I should be _so_ glad if you would tell me where I could get a pair
of eyes,' said the fox. 'I suppose you don't happen to have any you
could lend me?'

'Well, if you only want them for a short time, perhaps I could
manage,' answered the asp; 'but I can't do without them for long.'

'Oh, it is only for a very short time that I need them,' said the fox;
'I have a pair of my own just behind that hill, and when I find them I
will bring yours back to you. Perhaps you will keep these till then.'
So he took the eyes out of his own head and poppe