Page:English Fairy Tales.djvu/59

 Rh himself. The poor king was in a terrible case. He said: "What have I done? I promised to give the giant who carried me over the river on his back, Nix Nought Nothing." The king and the queen were sad and sorry, but they said: "When the giant comes we will give him the hen-wife's boy; he will never know the difference." The next day the giant came to claim the king's promise, and he sent for the hen-wife's boy; and the giant went away with the boy on his back. He travelled till he came to a big stone, and there he sat down to rest. He said:

"Hidge, Hodge, on my back, what time of day is that?"

The poor little lad said: "It is the time that my mother, the hen-wife, takes up the eggs for the queen's breakfast."

Then the giant was very angry, and dashed the boy on the stone and killed him.

Back he went in a tower of a temper and this time they gave him the gardener's boy. He went off with him on his back till they got to the stone again when the giant sat down to rest. And he said:

"Hidge, Hodge, on my back, what time of day do you make that?"

The gardener's boy said: "Sure, it's the time that my mother takes up the vegetables for the queen's dinner."

Then the giant was as wild as could be, and killed him too.

Then the giant went back to the king's house in a terrible temper and said he would destroy them all if