“Wonderful!” said she. “Let us hurry now and give the boy the fleece. Then we will go on eating.”
Two-Legs drank the blood of the sheep and bit into the meat:
“I feel stronger than I ever did before,” he said. “Let the lion come now, then he’ll have me to deal with.”
They wrapped the fleece round the child, who at once went comfortably to sleep. Then they dragged the rest of the sheep up into the tree and sat down to eat. Every bite they took made them feel braver and stronger. They gave no more thought to cold or rain, but sat and talked of the future as they had never talked before:
“I should like to have a sheepskin like that for myself,” said she.
“So you shall,” said he, gnawing a bone, “unless we find another animal that has a still softer and warmer skin. I want a fur too.... I say, we might cover the roof with sheepskins: that would keep out the rain. I will go out to-morrow and find some more sheep and kill them and bring them home.”
“Then we’ll eat them,” said Mrs. Two-Legs.
“Rather!” said he. “We’ll eat meat every day. What a good thing that I thought of it, for the fish in the river were already growing afraid of me!”
“Mind you don’t meet with an accident,” said she.