I must go now , ' said the bear , pulling the sleepy prince on to his feet ; ` but first you shall cut off the tip of my ear , and when you are in any danger just wish yourself a bear and you will become one . One good turn deserves another , you know . ' And the boy did as he was bid , and he and the bear bade each other farewell . ' I wonder how it feels to be a bear , ' thought he to himself when he had walked a little way ; and he took out the tip from the breast of his coat and wished hard that he might become a bear . The next moment his body stretched out and thick black fur covered him all over . As before , his hands were changed into paws , but when he tried to switch his tail he found to his disgust that it would not go any distance . ` Why it is hardly worth calling a tail ! ' said he . For the rest of the day he remained a bear and continued his journey , but as evening came on the bear-skin , which had been so useful when plunging through brambles in the forest , felt rather heavy , and he wished himself a boy again . He was too much exhausted to take the trouble of cutting any fern or seeking for moss , but just threw himself down under a tree , when exactly above his head he heard a great buzzing as a bumble-bee alighted on a honeysuckle branch . ` What are you doing here ? ' asked the bee in a cross voice ; ` at your age you ought to be safe at home . ' ' I am running away from the mermaid , ' replied the boy ; but the bee , like the lion and the bear , was one of those people who never listen to the answers to their questions , and only said : ' I am hungry . Give me something to eat . ' The boy took his last loaf and flask out of his knapsack and laid them on the ground , and they had supper together . ` Well , now I am going to sleep , ' observed the bee when the last crumb was gone , ` but as you are not very big I can make room for you beside me , ' and he curled up his wings , and tucked in his legs , and he and the prince both slept soundly till morning . Then the bee got up and carefully brushed every scrap of dust off his velvet coat and buzzed loudly in the boy 's ear to waken him . ` Take a single hair from one of my wings , ' said he , ` and if you are in danger just wish yourself a bee and you will become one . One good turn deserves another , so farewell , and thank you for your supper . ' And the bee departed after the boy had pulled out the hair and wrapped it carefully in a leaf .
` It must feel quite different to be a bee from what it does to be a lion or bear , ' thought the boy XXXXX himself when he had walked for an hour or two . '
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