ltivate the ground.

Then the dog barked furiously for a few moments, but at a word from Tom
crouched panting with its tongue out and ears pricked, evidently
satisfied with the efforts being made to release its master. The
strokes of the axe fell thick and fast, the saw rasped through the wood,
and dust and chips flew, while the forest echoed to the sounds of busy
work.

Best part of an hour's hard toil, and then one side of the tree was
fairly clear; the ropes were tied to root and branch projecting at right
angles, and the ends passed round tree-trunks.

"Now then!" said Uncle Richard. "Ready?"

"Hadn't we better haul straight, sir?" cried the carpenter. "It'll give
us more power."

"No," said Uncle Richard; "the pulling will be harder, but we can hold
inch by inch this way, and make fast the ropes when we have turned the
trunk over."

"Right, sir," said the man.

Then the word was given, and after a glance to see that the burrow was
still open, Tom seized the end of the rope, to add his bit of weight,
wondering the while whether they would injure the poor fellow beneath,
but pretty well satisfied that they were pulling right away.

The tree creaked and moved, some smaller branches snapped, but no good
was done.

"All together again," cried Uncle Richard; and they panted and hauled,
but all in vain.

"Off with that rope from the branch," cried Uncle Richard.

This was done, and it was then made fast to another projecting root, so
that all could pull at the one end.

Again the word was given, but there was no result, and after a couple
more tries the task seemed hopeless, when Tom seized the saw, and began
to cut at a piece of root which he had seen rise a little and move some
sand.

"Hah, that's right," cried the Vicar; "that's a sound root, and holds
the tree down."

In five minutes the saw was through, and once more all began to haul,
when the great tree seemed to give, turning over slowly like a wheel,
and amidst shouts and cheers, and a furious burst of barking from the
dog, the mass turned more and more, till the whole tree, with its vast
root, had made a complete revolution; and when the ropes had been made
fast, to secure it, there was the great hollow clear, but the sand had
gone down with a rush, and the burrow was covered in.

Tom did not wait for the trunk to be secured, for he had seen the
result.

"Don't, boy, don't," shouted the Vicar; "the tree may come back and
crush you."