Poor foolish creature ! In one moment the Tanuki had seized her , stripped off all her clothes , and popped her in the mortar . In a few minutes more she was pounded as fine as the rice ; and not content with that , the Tanuki placed a pot on the hearth and made ready to cook the peasant a dinner from the flesh of his own wife ! When everything was complete he looked out of the door , and saw the old man coming from the forest carrying a large bundle of wood . Quick as lightning the Tanuki not only put on the woman 's clothes , but , as he was a magician , assumed her form as well . Then he took the wood , kindled the fire , and very soon set a large dinner before the old man , who was very hungry , and had forgotten for the moment all about his enemy . But when the Tanuki saw that he had eaten his fill and would be thinking about his prisoner , he hastily shook off the clothes behind a door and took his own shape . Then he said to the peasant , ` You are a nice sort of person to seize animals and to talk of killing them ! You are caught in your own net . It is your own wife that you have eaten , and if you want to find her bones you have only to look under the floor . ' With these words he turned and made for the forest . The old peasant grew cold with horror as he listened , and seemed frozen to the place where he stood . When he had recovered himself a little , he collected the bones of his dead wife , buried them in the garden , and swore over the grave to be avenged on the Tanuki . After everything was done he sat himself down in his lonely cottage and wept bitterly , and the bitterest thought of all was that he would never be able to forget that he had eaten his own wife . While he was thus weeping and wailing his friend the hare passed by , and , hearing the noise , pricked up his ears and soon recognised the old man 's voice . He wondered what had happened , and put his head in at the door and asked if anything was the matter . With tears and groans the peasant told him the whole dreadful story , and the hare , filled with anger and compassion , comforted him as best 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 for materials to make an ointment , which he sprinkled plentifully with pepper and then put in his pocket . Next he took a hatchet , bade farewell to the old man , and departed to the forest .
He bent his steps to the dwelling of the XXXXX and knocked at the door .
Tanuki bones fill fire first knave lightning minutes noise shape