!" And he came along, took the bear, led him
home, and shut him up in the lumber room.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

The next day, as soon as the sun rose, the old woman again drove the ox
to pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began spinning
flax and saying to herself: "Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass of
the field! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass of the field!" And
she went on spinning and spinning, and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of
the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a wolf came running, and
ran right up against the ox. "Who in the world are you?" he asked. And
the ox answered: "I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and
smeared over with pitch." Then the wolf said: "Well, if that's so, give
me some pitch to put on my poor torn side." And the ox answered: "By all
means!" So the wolf tried to take some pitch, when lo and behold! his
paw stuck in it. And when he tried to free it, it stuck all the faster.
And the old woman woke up and saw the wolf sticking to the ox. So she
ran to fetch her husband and said: "Come as quick as you can, there's a
wolf stuck to the ox!" And he came and caught the wolf and put him in
the cellar.

[Illustration]

The next day, before even the sun had risen, the old woman again drove
the ox to pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began
spinning flax and saying to herself: "Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green
grass! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass!" And she went on
spinning and spinning, and fell asleep.

[Illustration]

Suddenly from out of the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a fox
came running, and ran right up against the ox. "What sort of a beast
are you?" he asked. And the ox answered: "I'm the three-year-old ox, all
made of straw and smeared over with pitch." Then the fox said: "Well
then, give me some pitch to rub on my side." And the fox was just going
to take some pitch, when he stuck fast and couldn't free himself. And
the old woman woke up and saw the fox sticking to the ox. So she ran to
fetch her husband, and he came and took the fox and put him in the
cellar as well.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

The next day the old woman again sat down under the tree to spin her
flax while the ox fed, and she began spinning and saying to herself:
"Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh
green grass!" And she went on spinning and spinning and fell asleep.
Sudden