in search of him, and after a while they
found him hiding in a cluster of ferns, and brought him before the
king.

The poor little fellow was so frightened that at first he could
scarcely speak a word, but after a time he told how he never missed
the berry until he had returned to fairyland, and that he was afraid
to say anything to anyone about it.

The king, who would hear of no excuse, sentenced the little culprit to
be banished into the land of giants beyond the mountains, to stay
there for ever and a day unless he could find a giant willing to go to
Dooros Wood and guard the fairy tree. When the king had pronounced
sentence everyone was very sorry, because the little fellow was a
favourite with them all. No fairy harper upon his harp, or piper upon
his pipe, or fiddler upon his fiddle, could play half so sweetly as he
could play upon an ivy leaf; and when they remembered all the pleasant
moonlit nights on which they had danced to his music, and thought that
they should never hear or dance to it any more, their little hearts
were filled with sorrow. The queen was as sad as any of her subjects,
but the king's word should be obeyed.

When the time came for the little fellow to set out into exile the
queen sent her head page to him with a handful of berries. These the
queen said he was to offer to the giants, and say at the same time
that the giant who was willing to guard the tree could feast on
berries just as sweet from morn till night.

As the little fellow went on his way nearly all the fairies followed
him to the borders of the land, and when they saw him go up the
mountain towards the land of the giants, they all took off their
little red caps and waved them until he was out of sight.

On he went walking all day and night, and when the sun rose on the
morrow he was on the top of the mountain, and he could see the land of
the giants in the valley stretched far below him. Before beginning his
descent he turned round for a last glimpse of fairyland; but he could
see nothing, for a thick, dark cloud shut it out from view. He was
very sad, and tired, and footsore, and as he struggled down the rough
mountain side, he could not help thinking of the soft, green woods and
mossy pathways of the pleasant land he had left behind him.

When he awoke the ground was trembling, and a noise that sounded like
thunder fell on his ears. He looked up and saw coming towards him a
terrible giant, with one eye that burned like a