Page:The Floating Prince - Frank R Stockton.djvu/180

Rh it was a very good place indeed for a battle. Then the giant chose his position, and the king chose his, and then it was night, and the giant said they would begin to go to work early in the morning. The king was all ready to fight right away, but the giant did not approve of night battles, and so they all encamped until morning.

Early the next day the young king arose, and the first thing he saw was the giant hard at work carrying great rocks, and piling them up in a line on the place he had chosen.

"Halloo!" cried Gantalor, "what are you doing there?"

"Making a fort," said the giant.

"O bother!" cried the king; "we don't want a fort. It will take ever so long to build one." "It's all very well for you folks to talk that way," said Derido. "There are thousands of you, and only one of me. What do you suppose I should do if you were to get around in my rear?"

"That's so," said the king. "I suppose you must have a fort. But hurry up with it."

The giant went to work, and spent the whole morning piling rocks; and Gantalor, supposing that his intended father-in-law might think it strange that he was not on hand on the wedding-day, wrote and sent him a letter, explaining why the ceremony would have to be postponed for a little while. After dinner the young king went out to see how the giant was coming on, and he found that he was not half done.

"Halloo!" cried he; "how long are you going to keep me waiting here? I thought you'd be done by this time."

"It's very easy to talk," said the giant, "but if you really felt in such a hurry, as you say you do, you would send some of those lazy soldiers of yours to help me."