holds, and Billy lifted the giant clean off the ground, and fetching
him down again, sunk him in it up to the arm-pits. "Oh, spare my
life!" says the giant. But Billy taking up his sword, killed him and
cut out his tongues. It was evening by this time, and Billy drove home
his three goats, three cows, three horses, and three asses, and what
milk the cows gave that night overflowed all the vessels in the house,
and, running out, turned a rusty mill that hadn't been turned before
for thirty years. If the master was surprised seeing Billy coming back
the night before, he was ten times more surprised now.
"Did you see anything in the orchard the day?" says the gentleman.
"Nothing worse nor myself," says Billy. "What about my wages now?"
says Billy. "Well, never mind about your wages," says the gentleman,
"till the morrow, for I think you'll hardly come back alive again,"
says he. Well and good, Billy went to his bed, and the gentleman went
to his bed, and when the gentleman rose in the morning, says he to
Billy "I don't know what's wrong with two of the giants; I only heard
one crying last night." "I don't know," says Billy, "they must be sick
or something." Well, when Billy got his breakfast that day, again he
set out to the orchard, driving before him the three goats, three
cows, three horses, and three asses, and sure enough about the middle
of the day he hears three terrible roars again, and in comes another
giant, this one with twelve heads on him, and if the other two were
frightful, surely this one was ten times more so. "You villain, you,"
says he to Billy, "you killed my two brothers, and I'll have my
revenge on you now. Prepare till I kill you," says he; "you're too big
for one bite, and too small for two; what will I do with you?" "I'll
fight you," says Billy, shaping out and winding the bit of stick three
times over his head. The giant laughed heartily at the size of him,
and says he, "What way do you prefer being killed? Is it with a swing
by the back, a cut of the sword, or a square round of boxing?" "A
swing by the back," says Billy. So both of them again laid holds, and
my brave Billy lifts the giant clean off the ground, and fetching him
down again, sunk him down to his arm-pits in it. "Oh, have mercy!
Spare my life!" says the giant. But Billy took his sword, and,
killing him, cut out his tongues. That evening he drove home his three
goats, three cows, three horses, and three asses, and the milk of the
cows had to be turned into a valley where it made a lough three miles
long, three miles broad, and three miles deep, and that lough has been
filled with salmon and white trout ever since. The gentleman wondered
now more than ever to see Billy back the third day alive. "Did you see
nothing in the orchard the day, Billy?" says he. "No, nothing worse
nor myself," says Billy. "Well, that beats me," says the gentleman.
"What about my wages now?" says Billy. "Well, you're a good, mindful
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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