back and fell asleep. As soon as we
heard him snore, nine of the boldest among us, and I, took each of us
a spit, and, putting the points of them into the fire till they were
burning hot, we thrust them into his eye all at once, and blinded him.
The pain made him break out in a frightful yell; he started up, and
stretched out his hand to seize and kill us; but we ran to such places
as he could not reach. After having sought for us in vain, he groped
for the gate, and went out, howling in agony.

We left the palace at once, and came to the shore, where we made some
rafts, each large enough to carry three men. We waited till day before
getting on them, for we hoped that by morning the howling, which we
still heard, would cease, and that the giant would be dead; and if
that happened we meant to stay in the island, and not to risk our
lives upon the rafts. But day had scarcely appeared when we saw our
cruel enemy, with two giants, almost of the same size, leading him;
and a great number were coming before him at a quick pace.

We waited no longer to take to our rafts, and put to sea with all the
speed we could. The giants, seeing this, took up great stones, and,
running to the shore, entered the water up to the middle, and threw so
exactly that they sank all the rafts but that I was upon; and all my
comrades, except the two with me, were drowned. We rowed with all our
might, and got out of the reach of the giants. The next morning, after
a night of fear, we were thrown upon an island, where we landed with
much joy, and found good fruit, which refreshed us greatly.

At night we went to sleep on the seashore, but were awakened by the
noise of a serpent of surprising length and thickness, whose scales
made a rustling noise as it moved itself along. It swallowed up one of
my comrades, in spite of his loud cries and his efforts to save
himself. Dashing him several times against the ground, it crushed him,
and we could hear it gnaw and tear the poor fellow's bones, though we
had fled far off. The next day, to our great terror, we saw the
serpent again. "O Heaven, to what dangers are we exposed!" I cried.
"We escape from a giant and the waves, only to meet with this!"

The next night, having satisfied our hunger with fruit, we mounted a
tall tree, hoping to pass the night in safety. But soon the serpent
came hissing to its foot, raised itself up against the trunk, and,
reaching my comrade, who sat lower than I, swallowed him at