Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/159

Rh "Fire another," said the troll. But Peter knew better; if he had fired another shot, the bullet would have rebounded against himself.

Both Peter and the dogs then commenced dragging the troll out of the house, so that they might come inside and make themselves comfortable. Whilst he was so employed he heard jeers and laughter in the hills round about.

"Peter dragged a bit, but the doggies dragged more," said a voice.

Next morning he went out stalking. When he came in between the hills, he saw a lassie, who was calling some sheep up a hill-side. But when he came up to the place, she was gone and the sheep too, and he saw nothing but a pack of bears.

"Well, I never saw bears in a pack before," said Peter to himself. When he went nearer, they had all disappeared, except one. Look after your pig, For Peter Gynt is out With his gun so big," shouted a voice over in the hill.

"Ah, he can't hurt my pig; he hasn't washed himself to-day," said another voice in the hill. Peter washed his hands with some water he had with him. He fired, and shot the bear. Then he heard more jeers and laughter in the hill.

"You should have looked after your pig!" cried a voice.

"I forgot he carried water with him," answered another.

Peter skinned the bear and buried the carcase. On his way home he met a fox.

"Look at my lamb! How fat it is," said a voice in a hill.

"Look at Peter, he is lifting that gun of his," said another voice, just as Peter put his gun up and shot the fox. He skinned the fox also, and took the skin with him. When he came to the dairy, he put both the head of the fox and the bear on the wall outside the house, with their jaws wide open. So he lighted a fire and put a pot on to boil some soup, but the chimney smoked so terribly that he could scarcely keep his eyes open, and had therefore to L 2