He broke through the bushes and found that the person who had spoken was indeed a lion. A javelin had pierced its shoulder and fastened it to a great tree.
‘All right,’ cried Sep, ‘hold still a minute, sir.’
He got out his knife and cut and cut at the shaft of the javelin till he was able to break it off. Then the lion drew back and the broken shaft passed through the wound and the broken javelin was left sticking in the tree.
‘I’m really extremely obliged, my dear fellow,’ said the lion warmly. ‘Pray command [p132 me, if there’s any little thing I can do for you at any time.’
‘Don’t mention it,’ said Sep with proper politeness, ‘delighted to have been of use to you, I’m sure.’
So they parted. As Sep scrambled through the bushes back to the road he kicked against an axe that lay on the ground.
‘Hullo,’ said he, ‘some poor woodman’s dropped this, and not been able to find it. I’ll take it along—perhaps I may meet him.’
He was getting very tired and very hungry, and presently he sat down to rest under a chestnut-tree, and he heard two little voices talking in the branches, voices soft as a squirrel’s fur, and bright as a squirrel’s eyes. They were, indeed, the voices of two squirrels.
‘Hush,’ said one, ‘there’s some one below.’
‘Oh,’ said the other, ‘it’s a horrid boy. Let’s scurry away.’