. The pink fairy book. assion, comforted him asbest he could, and promised to help him in his revenge. The false knave shall not go unpunished, said he. So the first thing he did was to search the house formaterials to make an ointment, which he sprinkled plen-tifully with pepper and then put in his pocket. Nexthe took a hatchet, bade farewell to the old man, anddeparted to the forest. He bent his steps to the dwellingof the Tanuki and knocked at the door. The Tanuki,who had no cause to suspect the hare, was greatly pleasedto see him, for he noticed the hatchet at once, and beganto lay plots h
. The pink fairy book. assion, comforted him asbest he could, and promised to help him in his revenge. The false knave shall not go unpunished, said he. So the first thing he did was to search the house formaterials to make an ointment, which he sprinkled plen-tifully with pepper and then put in his pocket. Nexthe took a hatchet, bade farewell to the old man, anddeparted to the forest. He bent his steps to the dwellingof the Tanuki and knocked at the door. The Tanuki,who had no cause to suspect the hare, was greatly pleasedto see him, for he noticed the hatchet at once, and beganto lay plots how to get hold of it. To do this he thought he had better offer to accompanythe hare, which was exactly what the hare wished and THE SLAYING OF THE TANUKI 37 expected, for he knew all the Tanukis cunning, andunderstood his little ways. So he accepted the rascalscompany with joy, and made himself very pleasant asthey strolled along. When they were wandering in thismanner through the forest the hare carelessly raised his. hatchet in passing, and cut down some thick boughs thatwere hanging over the path, but at lengtli, after cuttingdown a good big tree, which cost him many hard blows,he declared that it was too heavy for him to carry home,•md he must just leave it where it was. This delightedthe greedy Tanuki, who said that they would be no weight 38 THE SLAYING OF THE TANUKI for him, so they collected the large branches, which thehare bound tightly on his back. Then he trotted gailyto the house, the hare following after with his lighterbundle. By this time the hare had decided what he would do,and as soon as they arrived, he quietly set on fire thewood on the back of the Tanuki. The Tanuki, who wasbusy with something else, observed nothing, and onlycalled out to ask what was the meaning of the cracklingthat he heard. It is just the rattle of the stones whichare rolling down the side of the mountain, the hare said;and the Tanuki was content, and made no further remarks,never no
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecttales, bookyear1897
