aid; and,
jumping out of bed, he got his knife and walked stealthily to the room
where the boys were. He walked up to the bed, and they were all asleep
except Tom Thumb, who, however, kept his eyes fast shut, and did not
show that he was awake. The ogre touched their heads, one after another,
and feeling the crowns of gold, he said to himself:

"What a mistake I was going to make!" He then went to bed where his own
daughters were sleeping, and, feeling the nightcaps, he said:

"Oh, ho, here you are, my lads!" and in a moment he had killed them all.
He then went back to his own room to sleep till morning.

[Illustration]

As soon as Tom Thumb heard him snoring, he roused his brothers, and told
them to dress quickly and follow him. He led them downstairs and out of
the house; and then, stealing on tiptoe through the garden, they jumped
down from the wall into the road and ran swiftly away.

In the morning, when the ogre found what a dreadful thing he had done,
he was terribly shocked.

"Fetch me my seven-league boots," he cried to his wife. "I will go and
catch those young vipers. They shall pay for this piece of work!" And,
drawing on the magic boots, the ogre set out.

[Illustration]

He went striding over the country, stepping from mountain to mountain,
and crossing rivers as if they had been streams. The poor children
watched him coming in fear and trembling. They had found the way to
their father's home, and had very nearly reached it when they saw the
ogre racing after them.

Tom Thumb thought for a moment what was to be done. Then he saw a hollow
place under a large rock.

"Get in there," he said to his brothers.

When they were all in he crept in himself, but kept his eyes fixed on
the ogre, to see what he would do.

[Illustration]

The ogre, seeing nothing of the children, sat down to rest himself on
the very rock under which the poor boys were hiding. He was tired with
his journey, and soon fell fast asleep, and began to snore so loudly
that the little fellows were terrified. Tom Thumb told his brothers to
creep out softly and run home; which they did. Then he crept up to the
ogre, pulled off the seven-league boots very gently and put them on his
own feet, for being fairy boots they could fit themselves to any foot,
however small.

As soon as Tom Thumb had put on the ogre's seven-league boots, he took
ten steps to the Palace, which was seventy miles off, and asked to see
the King. He offered t