The girl was standing at the door of her hut as they passed , and laughed out loud -- they moved so slowly . Her lover , who was marching at the head , grew very angry at this , and cried out : ` In four days from now you will be weeping instead of laughing , because there will be hundreds of miles between you and me . ' ` In four days , ' replied the girl -- who only promised to marry him in order to get rid of him -- ` in four days you will hardly be out of sight . ' ` Oh , I did not mean four days , but four YEARS , ' answered the turtle , hastily ; ` whatever happens I shall be back by then . ' The army marched on , till one day , when they felt as if they must have got half round the earth , though they were scarcely four miles from the camp , they found a large tree lying across their path . They looked at it with dismay , and the oldest among them put their heads together to see what was to be done . ` Ca n't we manage to get past by the top ? ' asked one . ` Why , it would take us YEARS , ' exclaimed another . ` Just look at all those tall green branches , spreading in every direction . If once we got entangled in THEM , we should never get out again ! ' ` Well then , let us go round by the bottom , ' said a third . ` How are we to do that , when the roots have made a deep hole , and above that is a high bank ? ' replied a fourth . ` No ; the only way I can think of , is to burn a large hole in the trunk . ' And this they did , but the trunk was very thick , and would not burn through . ` It is no use , we must give it up , ' they agreed at last . ` After all , nobody need ever know ! We have been away such a long while that we might easily have had all sorts of adventures . ' And so the whole company turned homewards again .
They took even longer XXXXX go back than they had to come , for they were tired and footsore with their journey .
After above at by from on so through to with