Page:Slavonic Fairy Tales.djvu/245

228 again that he wanted something more to eat. The woman was greatly surprised at this, and said,—

"What, my child, have you not yet had enough?"

She then went out and borrowed in the village a loaf of bread, put it on the table, and again left the room to boil some water and make soup. As soon as she was gone, Otesanek, seeing the bread on the table, scrambled out of the swaddling clothes, jumped upon a bench, and in an instant swallowed up the bread, and then screamed again,—

"Mother, I want something to eat!"

The woman came in to cut the bread for the soup,—she looked about for it everywhere, but it was gone! In a corner stood Otesanek looking like a small barrel and staring at her.

"Heaven have mercy upon us!" cried the woman; "Otesanek, surely you have not eaten the loaf of bread?"

"Yes, mother," answered Otesanek; "I have eaten it, and now will eat you too."

He opened his mouth, and before the woman could recover from her astonishment, swallowed her up.

In a short time the man returned home. As soon as he had entered in, Otesanek screamed,—

"Father, I want something to eat!"

The man was greatly alarmed at the sight of a child