Then the gate was opened a little way, and a great coarse hand as large as Hansel’s whole body was stretched out and pulled him in through the opening. Of course, the hand belonged to a giant, who was almost as tall as the walls of the castle. The boy ventured to put his head back and take one look at the giant’s face. It would have been frightful enough in any case, for it looked so hateful; but it was especially startling because it had three eyes, one above each ear and one on the top of the head. The giant could see best with that, and now he bent his head over and glared at Hansel with it. This eye was red and fiery, and at its flashing the boy felt as though the lightning was about to strike him. The giant gazed a minute or two and then called:-- [Illustration: A GREAT COARSE HAND PULLED HIM IN] “Brothers Humpkin and Lumpkin, here’s a boy.” “Let’s eat him, Brother Mumpkin,” cried two harsh voices, and immediately two more dreadful giants came shambling out of the castle keep. One had three ears, and the other had three mouths. This third giant was Lumpkin, and he was the most horrible of the three, for he was continually grating his teeth and mumbling his heavy lips. “We’ll eat him, well eat him,” they cried; but when they caught sight of the boy and saw how small and thin he was, they laughed scornfully. “He’ll be only a mouthful apiece for us,” said Humpkin. Lumpkin, however, began to feel the boy’s ribs and thighs, pinching him now and then to see if the flesh was firm and solid. “Maybe he’ll not be so bad,” said Lumpkin. “Well put him into one of the dungeons, and in a day or two we’ll have a feast. These little creatures are small, but they are tender.” Now one giant would have been enough to frighten anybody, but with three such monsters before him it is no wonder that Hansel was white with terror. Mumpkin held him up by the back of the neck as if he was a kitten and demanded:-- “Do they eat boys in the land of the Pogglywogs?” If Hansel had answered, “I don’t know,” the giant would probably have retorted, “You’ll find out that we do here,” and perhaps have taken a bite on the instant, but Hansel in all his terror had not forgotten his promise to the cock, and he faltered, “Yes.” “Listen to that!” cried Humpkin. “Now we’ll know how the Pogglywogs do it, for we must do like them if we want to grow any taller.” Then Mumpkin gave the boy a pinch to make sure that he was attending and asked in a voice that sounded like distant thunder:-- “How do they eat them?” “With salt,” answered the boy faintly. “He says, ‘With salt,’” repeated Mumpkin. “What’s salt? I never saw any. You boy, where do they find salt?” “In the sea and in the land,” answered the boy. “‘In the sea and in the land,’” repeated Mumpkin. “There’s one thing sure, we must have some salt, whatever it may be. Humpkin, if you will take the boy to the dungeon, I’ll go out and look the land through for some salt.”