Page:The Floating Prince - Frank R Stockton.djvu/176

Rh "If he had his head over there, near the root of that tree," said one of the ladies, "he would be all right."

"Well, let's wake him up," said the Princess, "and make him move."

So they pushed at him, and thumped at him, the Princess, ladies, slaves, and all, but they did not disturb him in the least.

One of the slaves proposed to stick him a little with their spears, but the Princess would not allow that.

"Well," said another of the ladies, "we can't move him, and we can't move the tree, so we had better go on and let him alone."

"I don't know about moving the tree," said the Princes. "Here, you slaves, just take your swords, and cut down that palm-tree, and be very careful it don't fall on the giant."

So the slaves took their swords, and cut down the tree, and, as they were very careful, it did not fall on the giant.

Then, by the Princess's orders, they cut about half of the trunk off, and the upper part, with the broad-spreading leaves above, looked very much like an enormous umbrella.

"Now stick it up somewhere, near him," said the Princess, "so that it will shade his head." They tried it in several places, but nowhere would it shade his whole face; so one of the ladies suggested that they should stick the tree into his mouth, which was stretched open quite wide enough for the purpose.

This suggestion being approved of, the slaves climbed up and put it into his mouth, and it stood up nicely and shaded his whole face. Then the Princess and her retinue rode off.

After a little while, the giant began to dream that he was cutting a new tooth. It made him uneasy, and he soon awoke. When he saw the upper part of a palm-tree sticking out of his