w twice as stout and big as it had been at first, for two chips
grew for every one they hewed out with their axes, as I dare say you
all bear in mind. So the King had now laid it down as a punishment
that if any one tried and couldn't fell the oak, he should be put on
a barren island, and both his ears were to be clipped off. But the two
brothers didn't let themselves be scared by that; they were quite sure
they could fell the oak, and Peter, as he was eldest, was to try his
hand first; but it went with him as with all the rest who had hewn
at the oak; for every chip he cut out, two grew in its place. So the
King's men seized him, and clipped off both his ears, and put him out
on the island.

Now Paul, he was to try his luck, but he fared just the same; when he
had hewn two or three strokes, they began to see the oak grow, and so
the King's men seized him too, and clipped his ears, and put him out
on the island; and his ears they clipped closer, because they said he
ought to have taken a lesson from his brother.

So now Jack was to try.

"If you _will_ look like a marked sheep, we're quite ready to clip
your ears at once, and then you'll save yourself some bother," said
the King, for he was angry with him for his brothers' sake.

"Well, I'd like to just try first," said Jack, and so he got leave.
Then he took his axe out of his wallet and fitted it to its handle.

"Hew away!" said he to his axe; and away it hewed, making the chips
fly again, so that it wasn't long before down came the oak.

When that was done, Jack pulled out his spade, and fitted it to its
handle.

"Dig away!" said he to the spade; and so the spade began to dig and
delve till the earth and rock flew out in splinters, and so he had the
well soon dug out, you may think.

And when he had got it as big and deep as he chose, Jack took out his
walnut and laid it in one corner of the well, and pulled the plug of
moss out.

"Trickle and run," said Jack, and so the nut trickled and ran, till
the water gushed out of the hole in a stream, and in a short time the
well was brimful.

Then Jack had felled the oak which shaded the King's palace, and dug
a well in the palace-yard, and so he got the Princess and half the
kingdom, as the King had said; but it was lucky for Peter and Paul
that they had lost their ears, else they had heard each hour and day
how every one said, "Well, after all, Jack wasn't so much out of his
mind when he took to wondering."