an expression of discontent; but his master was
ready for the occasion, and declared himself
perfectly satisfied.

The satisfaction so warmly expressed was
far from genuine, and the gentleman's wife,
perceiving the expediency of getting rid of a
youth too clever to be tricked out of his skin,
suggested that on the following day he should
be sent with a drove of pigs to a neighbouring
forest, inhabited by an eminent ogre,
who would certainly devour him. The order
was duly given, and the lad having first provided
himself with a horn and some soft cheese,
entered the forest, where he saw the ogre, who
roughly asked him who he was.

"That will tell you who I am," said he, and
putting the cheese on a stone, he struck it so
smartly with his fist that it was scattered in all
directions, the eminent but stupid ogre all the
while believing that the broken article was a
piece of marble, and marvelling at the strength
of his new acquaintance.

A treaty of amity was the result, and the
ogre, in the kindest mood, took the lad home
to his wife, who was by no means credulous as
to the great strength of their guest, and, in the
night, counselled her husband to put him to a
new trial. On the following morning,
therefore, the ogre challenged his guest to play
with him at " ruzzica:" a game which consists
in flinging to the greatest possible distance a
round, heavy piece of wood, by means of a
twisted cord: and took with him an enormous
pole as his missile. This, when they had
reached a convenient spot, he flung to an
immense distance, and jeeringly asked his
comrade to do the like. But the lad simply took
out his horn, and began to blow.

"What is that for?" asked the ogre.

"Why," said the youth, " you can perceive
the sea there, can't you?"

"Of course I can."

"Well, there are folks living beyond the sea,
and I wish to warn them of my throw, that
they may not be hurt."

"Ugh," said the giant, "my pole has fallen
into the sea already, so I may as well
give up."

If the ogre's wife was incredulous when she
heard of the pounded marble, she was
absolutely disgusted when she was informed of the
trial of strength in which her husband had been
conquered by words only.

"Try him again to-morrow," said she, " and
mind that you look sharp this time."

On the morrow, therefore, the ogre took the
lad into the forest, for the purpose of getting
logs, and thought to surprise him by breaking
one tree after another, as if they had been so
many dry twigs.

"Match that!" quoth the ogre.

But, by way of reply, the lad simply put the
end of a rope into the ogre's hand, and bidding
him hold it fast, began to run with all his
might.

"Where are you going?" asked the ogre.

"Look here," replied the youth. " I'm
going to put this rope like a girdle round the
forest, and then to break all the trees down with
one strong pull. It's such finnikin, niggling
work to pull down the trees singly."

"Oh, I dare say. I'm not going to have my
forest spoiled in that fashion," said the huge
lubber. " I give in."

More disgusted than ever with this new proof
of her husband's utter stupidity, the wife now
proposed the form of trial that should take
place on the following day.

"Don't be put off for a third time with empty
words," said she, "but bid him chop down
trees with his hands in your presence."

The youth, who lay awake in his bed and
overheard this counsel, sneaked out in the
middle of the night with an augur in his hand,
and bored some five or six holes in the thickest
tree. This done, he sneaked back to his
bed.

On the following day, he and his host set out
on their usual walk, and when they had reached
the forest, the ogre again proposed that they
should cut logs.

"Very well," said the youth, " the hardest
wood is nothing to me;" and running straight
at the prepared tree, he contrived to thrust his
fingers into the holes.

The ogre imitated the experiment on a
tree that had not been similarly prepared,
and grievous damage to his fingers was the
result.

The wife hearing what had passed, and seeing
her husband's damaged fingers, now began
to think that their guest really was a very
extraordinary person; indeed, far too extraordinary
to live. So she advised her lord to take
an iron bar, and give him, when asleep, a
blow sufficiently strong to hinder him from
waking in the morning. But the wary lad
contrived to put a heap of straw into the bed as a
substitute, and this received the three heavy
blows administered in the dark by the ogre. His
reappearance in the morning surprised the
worthy pair not a little, and they were deeply
impressed by his reply, when, in answer to the
kind inquiries as to how he had passed the
night, he said that he had been grievously bitten
by three fleas.

The ogre desired no more trials of strength,
but, taking a business-like view of his position,
offered to give the guest as much gold as he
wanted if he would only leave the forest. The
bargain was struck, the gold was taken, and the
youth, sounding his horn, brought together his
drove of pigs, and directed his steps towards the
residence of his master. An unlimited consumption
of acorns in the forest had made the
animals so extremely sleek and plump, that
they attracted the attention of two salesmen
who met him on the road, and they expressed a
wish to purchase them. He said that he would
readily part with the whole drove, if they would
leave him the ears and the tails, and as they
were contented with this reservation, he
received almost as much gold as he could carry.

When he had nearly reached his master's