And so it did ; and the man felt it was a hopeless chase , and that he was no match for the fox . So the fox drove on in peace till he reached the cave where all his stores were kept , and then he began to wonder whom he could get to help him kill his reindeer , for though he could steal reindeer he was too small to kill them . ` After all , it will be quite easy , ' thought he , and he bade a squirrel , who was watching him on a tree close by , take a message to all the robber beasts of the forest , and in less than half an hour a great crashing of branches was heard , and bears , wolves , snakes , mice , frogs , and other creatures came pressing up to the cave . When they heard why they had been summoned , they declared themselves ready each one to do his part . The bear took his crossbow from his neck and shot the reindeer in the chin ; and , from that day to this , every reindeer has a mark in that same spot , which is always known as the bear 's arrow . The wolf shot him in the thigh , and the sign of his arrow still remains ; and so with the mouse and the viper and all the rest , even the frog ; and at the last the reindeer all died . And the fox did nothing , but looked on . ' I really must go down to the brook and wash myself , ' said he -LRB- though he was perfectly clean -RRB- , and he went under the bank and hid himself behind a stone . From there he set up the most frightful shrieks , so that the animals fled away in all directions . Only the mouse and the ermine remained where they were , for they thought that they were much too small to be noticed . The fox continued his shrieks till he felt sure that the animals must have got to a safe distance ; then he crawled out of his hiding-place and went to the bodies of the reindeer , which he now had all to himself . He gathered a bundle of sticks for a fire , and was just preparing to cook a steak , when his enemy , the Lapp , came up , panting with haste and excitement . ` What are you doing there ? ' cried he ; ` why did you palm off those bones on me ? And why , when you had got the reindeer , did you kill them ? ' ` Dear brother , ' answered the fox with a sob , ` do not blame me for this misfortune . It is my comrades who have slain them in spite of my prayers . ' The man made no reply , for the white fur of the ermine , who was crouching with the mouse behind some stones , had just caught his eye . He hastily seized the iron hook which hung over the fire and flung it at the little creature ; but the ermine was too quick for him , and the hook only touched the top of its tail , and that has remained black to this day . As for the mouse , the Lapp threw a half-burnt stick after him , and though it was not enough to hurt him , his beautiful white skin was smeared all over with it , and all the washing in the world would not make him clean again .
And the man would have been wiser if he had let the XXXXX and the mouse alone , for when he turned round again he found he was alone .
Lapp crossbow day ermine fire hiding-place hour reindeer shrieks viper