Just then there was an awful rattle of something in the bushes behind the Farmer.
“What’s that?” the Bear cried.
“Oh,” the Farmer said, “that must be my son, the Hunter! Don’t you hear the rattle of his musket?”
The Bear shook in terror.
“The Hunter, you say! Mercy me, what shall I do! Oh, Mr. Farmer, save me from the Hunter and I’ll forgive you the Cow!”
“Very well,” the Farmer promised, “I’ll do my best! Lie down and I’ll try to make the Hunter believe you’re only a log.”
So the Bear lay down on the ground and stayed perfectly quiet.
“Father,” called the Fox in a voice that sounded like the Hunter’s, “what’s that big brown thing lying on the ground near you? Is it a Bear?”
“No, son,” the Farmer called back, “that isn’t a Bear. It’s only a log of wood.”
“If it’s a log of wood, father, chop it up!”