The children bunch their heads together; their lips part, as soon as I begin to say: 

Do you see that glowing spot in the heart of the coals?  That is the house of the Fire Pig.  One day the Fire Pig found he had no more corn, and he was very hungry.  So he jumped out of his house and ran down the road till he came to a farmer’s field.

“Good morning, Mr. Farmer,” said the little pig.  “Have you any corn for me to-day?”

“Why, who are you?” said the farmer.

“I’m a little Fire Pig.”

“No, I haven’t any corn for a Fire Pig.”

The pig ran on till he came to another farmer’s field.

“Good morning, Mr. Farmer, have you any corn for me to-day?”

“Who are you?” said the farmer.

“Oh, I’m the little Fire Pig.”

“I don’t know,” said the farmer.  “I would give you a great bagful if you could kill the snake which comes every night and steals my cattle.”

The pig thought, “How can I kill that snake?” but he was so hungry he knew he should starve without corn, so he said he would try.  The farmer told him to go down in the field, where the snake came gliding at night with its head reared high in air.  The pig went down in the meadow, and the first creature he saw was a sheep.

“Baa!” said the sheep.  That was its way of saying “How do you do?” “Who are you?”

“I’m the little Fire Pig.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to kill the great snake that eats the farmer’s cattle.”

“I’m very glad,” said the sheep, “for it takes my lambs.  How are you going to kill it?”

“I don’t know,” said the pig; “can’t you help me?”

“I’ll give you some of my wool.”

The pig thanked the sheep, and went a little farther and met a horse. 
“He-ee-ee!” said the horse.  That was his way of saying “How do you do?”
“Who are you?”

“I am the little Fire Pig.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to kill the great snake that eats the farmer’s cattle.”

“I’m glad of that,” said the horse; “for it steals my colts.  How are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know,” said the pig.  “Can’t you help me?”

“I’ll give you some of the long hairs from my tail,” said the horse.

The pig took them and thanked the horse.  And when he went a little farther he met a cow.

“Moo!” said the cow.  That was her way of saying “How do you do?” “Who are you?”

“I’m the little Fire Pig.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to kill the great snake that eats the farmer’s cattle.”

“I am glad of that, for it steals my calves.  How are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know.  Can’t you help me?”

“I’ll give you one of my sharp horns,” said the cow.

So the pig took it and thanked her.  Then he spun and he twisted, and he spun and he twisted, and made a strong woolen cord of the sheep’s wool.  And he wove and he braided, and he wove and he braided, and made a cunning snare of the horse’s tail.  And he whetted and sharpened, and he whetted and sharpened, and made a keen dart of the cow’s horn.