Page:Tales from the Fjeld.djvu/83



NCE on a time there was a man who lived far, far away in the wood. He had many, many goats and sheep, but never a one could he keep for fear of Greylegs, the wolf.

At last he said, "I'll soon trap Greyboots," and so he set to work digging a pitfall. When he had dug it deep enough, he put a pole down in the midst of the pit, and on the top of the pole he set a board, and on the board he put a little dog. Over the pit itself he spread boughs and branches and leaves, and other rubbish, and a-top of all he strewed snow, so that Greylegs might not see there was a pit underneath.

So when it got on in the night, the little dog grew weary of sitting there: "Bow-wow, bow-wow," it said, and bayed at the moon. Just then up came a fox, slouching and sneaking, and thought here was a fine time for marketing, and with that gave a jump—head over heels down into the pitfall.

And when it got a little farther on in the night, the