And in a moment the whole place was full of little creatures each one with a tiny bow and a spear hardly big enough for a baby ; but both arrows and spears could sting , as the bear knew very well , and in his fright he gave such a tug to his tail that it broke short off , and he rolled away into the forest as fast as his legs could carry him . At this sight the fox held his sides for laughing , and then scampered away in another direction . By-and-by he came to a fir tree , and crept into a hole under the root . After that he did something very strange . Taking one of his hind feet between his two front paws , he said softly : ` What would you do , my foot , if someone was to betray me ? ' ' I would run so quickly that he should not catch you . ' ` What would you do , mine ear , if someone was to betray me ? ' ' I would listen so hard that I should hear all his plans . ' ` What would you do , my nose , if someone was to betray me ? ' ' I would smell so sharply that I should know from afar that he was coming . ' ` What would you do , my tail , if someone was to betray me ? ' ' I would steer you so straight a course that you would soon be beyond his reach . Let us be off ; I feel as if danger was near . ' But the fox was comfortable where he was , and did not hurry himself to take his tail 's advice . And before very long he found he was too late , for the bear had come round by another path , and guessing where his enemy was began to scratch at the roots of the tree . The fox made himself as small as he could , but a scrap of his tail peeped out , and the bear seized it and held it tight . Then the fox dug his claws into the ground , but he was not strong enough to pull against the bear , and slowly he was dragged forth and his body flung over the bear 's neck . In this manner they set out down the road , the fox 's tail being always in the bear 's mouth . After they had gone some way , they passed a tree-stump , on which a bright coloured woodpecker was tapping . ` Ah !
those were better times when I used XXXXX paint all the birds such gay colours , ' sighed the fox .
At between beyond by down if into of to under