Page:The Floating Prince - Frank R Stockton.djvu/171

156 Every man of the invading army went home with a great bag of corn on his back, and when the inhabitants of the small kingdom saw a cart-load of gold dumped down into the public vaults, they were so delighted that they had a grand celebration, and all the children had holiday; all the toy and candy shops were declared free, and the boys and girls went in and took just what they liked best, and the king paid for it all.

On his way home from this kingdom, the giant had tired himself still more, but this time it was for his own gratification. Coming along by the sea-shore, he found a great anchor. Thinking it might be of use some day, he picked it up and hung it to his belt. Then it struck him that it would be a good idea to go a-fishing, and, accordingly, he stopped at a fishing village and bought about two miles of stout rope. He then walked some distance further on, to where the sea was very deep, and where it was a great place for whales. Going out on the top of a high promontory, and having tied his anchor to the end of the rope, he stood and watched for a whale to come up and blow. He soon saw one, about a mile and a half off, and whirling the anchor around his head, he let it fly, and it went clear out to the end of the rope and sunk into the sea, with the line right over the whale's back. The giant pulled in, ever so quick, hoping to hook his fish when he jerked the anchor up against him, but the old whale slipped from under the rope, and went swimming away, with as much of a smile on his face as it is possible for a whale to have. Poor Derido had to haul in his anchor, which was troublesome to do, for it continually caught on things at the bottom, and when he got it in at last, he determined that the next whale should not escape him so easily. He then broke off one of the flukes of the anchor, and bent the other one out straight, so that it and the shank were like one long piece of iron. When he had sharpened