Jacob and the Raven 41

_’ again when he caught the sound of a
grunting “ Oof, oof /” not far away.

“That is a bear,” he cried joyfully, “and
if I can put her into a good humour, I
will get her to carry Jacob. But she will
want some management.”

He marked his spot, and dropped, and
came bowing and sidling up to the bear,
who stopped nosing, and looked suspicious,
for the beasts do not much like those birds
which can talk men’s talk. But the raven
was clever enough to know how to get
round her, and he could see that she was
proud of her strength.

“Well met,” he said ; ‘the ground is hard,
but that makes no difference to thee, other-
wise I could tell thee of a good store of
earth-nuts which I passed when I was in
too great a hurry to stop.”

“I might hear where I could find them,”
grunted the bear, looking attentive, and
licking her lips.

“I could show thee easily, but that I
have some work on hand which is more