Then he reported to the squire that that job also was done . The squire said that that was well ; there was nothing more for him to do that day . Off went Hans to the kitchen , and got as much as he could eat ; then he went and took a midday nap which lasted till supper-time . Meanwhile the squire was quite miserable , and made his moan to his wife , saying that she must help him to find some means to getting rid of this strong fellow , for he durst not give him his leave . She sent for the steward , and it was arranged that next day all the men should go to the forest for fire-wood , and that they should make a bargain among them , that the one who came home last with his load should be hanged . They thought they could easily manage that it would be Hans who would lose his life , for the others would be early on the road , while Hans would certainly oversleep himself . In the evening , therefore , the men sat and talked together , saying that next morning they must set out early to the forest , and as they had a hard day 's work and a long journey before them , they would , for their amusement , make a compact , that whichever of them came home last with his load should lose his life on the gallows . So Hans had no objections to make . Long before the sun was up next morning , all the twelve men were on foot . They took all the best horses and carts , and drove off to the forest . Hans , however , lay and slept on , and the squire said , ` Just let him lie . ' At last , Hans thought it was time to have his breakfast , so he got up and put on his clothes . He took plenty of time to his breakfast , and then went out to get his horse and cart ready . The others had taken everything that was any good , so that he had a difficulty in scraping together four wheels of different sizes and fixing them to an old cart , and he could find no other horses than a pair of old hacks . He did not know where it lay , but he followed the track of the other carts , and in that way came to it all right . On coming to the gate leading into the forest , he was unfortunate enough to break it in pieces , so he took a huge stone that was lying on the field , seven ells long , and seven ells broad , and set this in the gap , then he went on and joined the others . These laughed at him heartily , for they had laboured as hard as they could since daybreak , and had helped each other to fell trees and put them on the carts , so that all of these were now loaded except one . Hans got hold of a woodman 's axe and proceeded to fell a tree , but he destroyed the edge and broke the shaft at the first blow . He therefore laid down the axe , put his arms round the tree , and pulled it up by the roots . This he threw upon his cart , and then another and another , and thus he went on while all the others forgot their work , and stood with open mouths , gazing at this strange woodcraft .
All at once they began XXXXX hurry ; the last cart was loaded , and they whipped up their horses , so as to be the first to arrive home .
among as at before except for of that to with