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230 "I am an eater, and have eaten some grits from a saucepan, a basinful of milk, a loaf of bread, my mother and father, a girl with the wheelbarrow, and now will eat you too."

Before the peasant recovered from his surprise he himself, with the horses and cart, was swallowed up by Otesanek. Then Otesanek went farther on. In the field there was a man watching pigs. Otesanek took a fancy to them and swallowed them all up, together with the man—there was not a sign left of them. Afterwards he perceived on a hill not far off a shepherd with a flock of sheep.

"Having already eaten so much," said Otesanek to himself, "I will eat these too."

He came nearer and swallowed them all up—the sheep, the shepherd, and his dog Vorish. Then he staggered forward and at last came to a field where an old woman was attending to cabbages. Otesanek did not reflect long, he went into the field, began to break off cabbages from the stumps and eat them up.

"Why are you destroying my property, Otesanek?" cried the old woman. "Surely you have eaten enough to be satisfied."

Otesanek looked at her with a grin and said: "I am an eater, and have eaten some grits from a saucepan, a basinful of milk, a loaf of bread, my father and mother,