"Over there--under the shed--a great big beast all covered with hair--on the straw--with a black head and a red mane; he's bigger'n our donkey! He's a horrid-looking thing!" "Can you make anything of all that?" Bertrand asked his wife. "They said something about a big beast, goodman." "_Morgué!_ there's only us in the house; how could it get in? Perhaps it's neighbor Gervais's bull, or Dame Catherine's donkey." "No, papa, no; it's all gray and red. Oh! it's awful-looking!" "The devil! what does it mean?" "Has it got any tail?" inquired Claudine. "I don't know 'bout that, mamma; he looked as if he was asleep, and we ran right away." "You must go and see what it is, goodman." "Yes, yes; I must go and see." But Bertrand, who was not naturally brave, had already begun to quake, and, as a matter of prudence, went to get his gun, which was loaded with salt. Claudine took a broom, the children seized sticks, and they marched toward the shed. The little ones went first, because at that age, although frightened, a child delights in anything out of the ordinary, and the slightest event is a pleasure. Bertrand walked beside his wife, who kept pushing him to make him go ahead. The nearer they came to the shed, the more slowly they walked; they had ordered the children to make no noise, because it was better to view the beast asleep than awake. At last they stood in front of the little building, and the children said, their voices trembling with fear and excitement: "There--look, in there!" Bertrand and Claudine thrust their heads forward, saw the horrifying object, and dared not advance; the husband turned pale and drew closer to his wife, who motioned to the children not to go any nearer. "Let's go and call help," said Bertrand at last, in a choking voice. "S'pose you fire at it, goodman." "I guess not! my gun's only loaded with salt; that wouldn't kill him, but would just wake him up, and he'd be mad and go for us." "Ah! you're right, you mustn't fire; let's run to the village. Come, children. Great God! I hope he won't wake up!" Bertrand had already started; he ran, as if the beast were after him, to the village, which was only a gunshot from his house, and he was soon joined by Claudine. They both told everybody they met what they had found in their garden. As fear always magnifies objects, the beast they had seen became as large as a bull; and as events are always exaggerated by passing from mouth to mouth, because everyone adds a little to what he hears, the beast was transformed from a bull to a camel, then into a lion, then into an elephant; nor would it have stopped there if they had been able to think of any larger animal.