176 Fairy Tales

Oh! I shan’t have one moment’s peace till
they are out of those horrid creatures’

clutches.”
But all the farmer would say was, “‘ Softly,
softly!” For he was a slow-thinking man

like Wolf, and slow also to move, though
very determined when he had once started.
He knew that it was impossible to get off
that night, and he saw that the children were
well treated, and he wanted time to consider
the position. He was afraid that even if
they managed to storm the dwarfs’ dwelling,
they would contrive to carry off the children,
and hide them in some fresh place.

Therefore he made up his mind at last
that he would take with him only his old
shepherd and the two dogs, start early,
and carry with him a written demand that
Barthel and Joan should be sent out at once,
otherwise he would proceed to blow up the
door and the dwelling, and that, in fact, all
sorts of terrible things would happen. This
should be tied on Ju-Ju’s collar, and Wolf
should be sent to see that at any rate he