Page:Transactions of the Second International Folk-Congress.djvu/81

 he flies after them swifter than the wind. The runaways had been galloping for several hours, when Reuben hears a sound behind him, and turning, sees the giant in the distance. "O Featherflight, Featherflight, all is lost!" But Featherflight says, "Keep steady, Reuben; look in the horse's right ear, and throwbehind you over your right shoulder what you find." Reuben looks, finds a little stick of wood, throws it over his right shoulder, and there grows up behind them a forest of hard wood. "We are saved," says Reuben. "Not so certain," says Lady Featherflight; "but prick up the horse, for we have gained some time." The giant went back for an axe, but soon hacked and hewed his way through the wood and was on the trail again. Reuben again heard a sound, turned and saw the giant, and said to Lady Featherflight, "All is lost!" "Keep steady, Reuben," says Featherflight; "look in the horse's left ear, and throw over your left shoulder what you find." Reuben looked, found a drop of water, throws it over his left shoulder, and between them and the giant there arises a large lake, and the giant stops on the other side, and shouts, "How did you get over?" Featherflight says, "We drank, and our horses drank, and we drank our way through." The giant shouts scornfully back, "Surely I am good for what you can do," and he threw himself down, and drank, and drank, and drank, and then he burst.

Now they go on quietly till they come near to a town. Here they stop, and Reuben says, "Climb this tree and hide in the branches till I come with the parson to marry us. For I must buy me a suit of fine clothes before I am seen with a gay lady like yourself." So Featherflight climbed the tree with the thickest branches she could find, and waited there, looking between the leaves into a spring below. Now this spring was used by all the wives of the townspeople to draw water for breakfast. No water was so sweet anywhere else; and early in the morning they all came with pitchers and pails for a gossip, and to draw water for the kettle. The first who came was a carpenter's wife, and as she bent over the clear spring, she saw, not herself, but Featherflight's lovely face reflected in the water. She looks at it with astonishment, and cries, "What, I a carpenter's wife, and so handsome? No, that I won't!" and down she threw the pitcher, and off she went.