anches. The scent of the berries was so sweet that it
sharpened the prince's hunger, and he longed to pluck them; but,
remembering what had happened to him on the enchanted island, he was
afraid to touch them. But the boat kept on sailing round and round,
and at last a great wind rose from the sea and shook the branches, and
the bright, sweet berries fell into the boat until it was filled with
them, and they fell upon the prince's hands, and he took up some to
look at them, and as he looked the desire to eat them grew stronger,
and he said to himself it would be no harm to taste one; but when he
tasted it the flavour was so delicious he swallowed it, and, of
course, at once he forgot all about Eileen, and the boat drifted away
from him and left him standing in the water.

He climbed on to the island, and having eaten enough of the berries,
he set out to see what might be before him, and it was not long until
he heard a great noise, and a huge iron ball knocked down one of the
trees in front of him, and before he knew where he was a hundred
giants came running after it. When they saw the prince they turned
towards him, and one of them caught him up in his hand and held him up
that all might see him. The prince was nearly squeezed to death, and
seeing this the giant put him on the ground again.

"Who are you, my little man?" asked the giant.

"I am a prince," replied the prince.

"Oh, you are a prince, are you?" said the giant. "And what are you
good for?" said he.

The prince did not know, for nobody had asked him that question
before.

"I know what he's good for," said an old giantess, with one eye in her
forehead and one in her chin. "I know what he's good for. He's good to
eat."

When the giants heard this they laughed so loud that the prince was
frightened almost to death.

"Why," said one, "he wouldn't make a mouthful."

"Oh, leave him to me," said the giantess, "and I'll fatten him up; and
when he is cooked and dressed he will be a nice dainty dish for the
king."

The giants, on this, gave the prince into the hands of the old
giantess. She took him home with her to the kitchen, and fed him on
sugar and spice and all things nice, so that he should be a sweet
morsel for the king of the giants when he returned to the island. The
poor prince would not eat anything at first, but the giantess held him
over the fire until his feet were scorched, and then he said to
himself it was better to eat than to be bur