The Giant Who Did Not Like Bones

THE GIANT WHO DID NOT LIKE BONES

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Once upon a time, some Lapp children, without their parents knowing it, climbed into a boat and rowed out on a lake.

Now near this lake, in a great mountain cave, a Giant had his dwelling. He was not an ordinary Giant, but a Man-Eating Stallo. The children knew nothing of this. But the Giant learned somehow that the children were rowing on the lake, so he hurried to the shore and hid behind a big stone.

He began to call the children. They had never heard of him, so they thought it was their parents calling. They rowed hard to the shore. In a twinkling, just as the boat touched the land, up popped the Giant, lifted the boat to his shoulder, and hurried homeward. All this happened before the children could even think of running way.

The Giant was so tall that his shoulder brushed the highest branches of the trees. And the children, one after the other, caught hold of the branches and pulled themselves into the trees. Now the danger of their being eaten was over!

When the Giant reached his cave, he called out to his wife:

"Here! Choose two of these fat children, and prepare me a delicious feast."

"But you have brought only two," said the Giantess.

"Are you crazy?" cried the Giant, rumbling with anger.

But when he looked into the boat, he found only a little boy and a tiny girl, brother and sister. And they were so thin! Just skin and bones! Before they could be eaten, they had to be fattened.

Now the two little ones were put into a wooden pen. The Giantess brought them the most delicious food, roasted and baked, on gold and silver dishes, and ordered them to eat. But the boy understood what that meant. He told his sister not to touch the best-looking food, and to eat only enough to keep alive.

After a time, a guest came to see the Giant. The Giant wished, as is natural, to treat his guest to a tid-bit, so he went down to the pen where the children were. But when he found them scrawny and bony he was filled with rage.

"This boy here is as thin as a crow, and the girl is worse!" he exclaimed.

Then he slung both children on his back, and carried them to their parents' hut. He threw them inside, roaring out:

"Here! Take your miserable young ones! Such bony skeletons, I will not have!"

And back he ran to his dwelling, so that the earth shook under his feet.