Page:Tales from the Fjeld.djvu/69

Rh to task for having been so wasteful in the forest—the wood-grieve had been up to see what he was at—but when Grumblegizzard came along dragging back half a wood of timber, the king got both angry and afraid, and he thought he must be careful with him, since he was so strong.

"That I call a workman, and no mistake," said the king; "but how much do you eat at once, for now you may well be hungry?"

"When he was to have a good meal of porridge, he could do with twelve barrels of meal," said Grumblegizzard; "but when he had got so much inside him, he could hold out for some time."

It took time to get the porridge boiled, and, meantime, he was to draw in a little wood for the cook; so he laid the whole pile of wood on a sledge, but when he was to get through the doorway with it, he got into a scrape again. The house was so shaken that it gave way at every joist, and he was within an ace of dragging the whole grange over on end.

When the hour drew near for dinner, they sent him out to call home the folk from the field; he bawled and bellowed so that the rocks and hills rang again; but they did not come quick enough for him, so he fell out with them, and slew twelve of them on the spot.

"He has slain twelve men," said the king; "and he eats for twelve times twelve. But for how many do you work, I should like to know?"

"For twelve times twelve too," said Grumblegizzard.

When he had eaten his dinner, he was to go out into the barn to thrash; so he took off the roof-tree and