The
poor king was in a terrible case. He said, 'What have I done? I
promised to give the giant who carried me over the river on his back,
Nicht Nought Nothing.' The king and the queen were sad and sorry, but
they said, 'When the giant comes we will give him the hen-wife's
bairn; he will never know the difference.' The next day the giant
came to claim the king's promise, and he sent for the hen-wife's
bairn; and the giant went away with the bairn on his back. He
travelled till he came to a big stone, and there he sat down to rest.
He said,

'Hidge, Hodge, on my back, what time of day is it?' The poor little
bairn said, 'It is the time that my mother, the hen-wife, takes up the
eggs for the queen's breakfast.'

The giant was very angry, and dashed the bairn on the stone and killed
it.

. . . . .

The same adventure is repeated with the gardener's son.

. . . . .

Then the giant went back to the king's house, and said he would
destroy them all if they did not give him Nicht Nought Nothing this
time. They had to do it; and when he came to the big stone, the giant
said, 'What time of day is it?' Nicht Nought Nothing said, 'It is the
time that my father the king will be sitting down to supper.' The
giant said, 'I've got the richt ane noo;' and took Nicht Nought
Nothing to his own house and brought him up till he was a man.

The giant had a bonny dochter, and she and the lad grew very fond of
each other. The giant said one day to Nicht Nought Nothing, 'I've
work for you to-morrow. There is a stable seven miles long and seven
miles broad, and it has not been cleaned for seven years, and you must
clean it to-morrow, or I will have you for my supper.'

The giant's dochter went out next morning with the lad's breakfast,
and found him in a terrible state, for aye as he cleaned out a bit, it
aye fell in again. The giant's dochter said she would help him, and
she cried a' the beasts of the field, and a' the fowls o' the air, and
in a minute they a' came, and carried awa' everything that was in the
stable and made a' clean before the giant came home. He said, 'Shame
for the wit that helped you; but I have a worse job for you
to-morrow.' Then he told Nicht Nought Nothing that there was a loch
seven miles long, and seven miles deep, and seven miles broad, and he
must drain it the next day, or els