He saw at once that the body of the lion.skin would be too long for Puzzle and its neck too short. So he cut a good piece out of the body and used it to make a long collar for Puzzle’s long neck. Then he cut off the head and sewed the collar in between the head and the shoulders. He put threads on both sides of the skin so that it would tie up under Puzzle‘s chest and stomach. Every now and then a bird would pass overhead and Shift would stop his work, looking anxiously up. He did not want anyone to see what he was doing. But none of the birds he saw were Talking Birds, so it didn’t matter.
Late in the afternoon Puzzle came back. He was not trotting but only plodding patiently along, the way donkeys do.
“There weren‘t any oranges,” he said, “and there weren’t any bananas. And I‘m very tired.” He lay down.
“Come and try on your beautiful new lion.skin coat,” said hift.
“Oh, bother that old skin,” said Puzzle. “I’ll try it on in he morning. I‘m too tired tonight.”