growled he.

"Oh, nothing," said Hans. "I was merely sticking these branches into the
ground so that they might keep the sun out of your eyes."

"Bah!" cried the great giant, sitting up, "did you not know that my eyes
were so strong that I could look the noonday sun straight in the face?"

"Indeed! Indeed!" said Hans. "What a wonderful giant you must be. I wish
you would come with me. I may need your strong eyes, for I am on my way
to the North Sea to search for an enchanted necklace of pearls which
lies at the bottom of the sea."

"Oh ho!" said the giant, "if that's the case I think I will go with
you."

So Hans and the two big giants walked on together. They had not gone
more than three or four miles when Hans spied another great giant
sitting under a tall tree. As they came up to him the wind blew his hat
off his head. "I will fetch it for you," cried Hans, as he ran forward
after the hat; but before he could get to the spot where the hat lay,
the big giant reached out his long arm and himself picked up his hat and
put it again on his head. At this all three of the huge giants laughed.

"Didn't you know that he was the giant who could reach 500 yards?" asked
the long-legged giant.

"No," exclaimed Hans, clapping his hands with delight. "You are just the
giant I need. When I get to the North Sea you can reach down to the
bottom of it and pick up the enchanted necklace of pearls. Will you not
come and help me?"

The new giant thought for a minute or two and then said: "Oh, yes; I
will go along if I can be of any use to you."

So Hans and the three big giants started gayly forward on their journey
to the North Sea. They had not gone far before Hans saw in the distance
another giant quietly leaning up against a very large rock. He seemed so
deep in thought that he did not see Hans and his fellow travelers until
they came near to where he stood. Hans noticed that both of this giant's
ears were stopped with cotton. "Have you the earache?" asked Hans.
"Perhaps I can do something to ease your pain."

"Oh, no," said the giant, "I merely stuffed cotton into my ears to shut
off some of the sounds about me. I can hear so well that I can tell what
men are saying a hundred miles away from me."

"What a valuable giant you must be!" exclaimed Hans. "Will you not come
with me? When I get the enchanted necklace of pearls you can tell me
whether it will be safe to take it back to the king's palace."

The giant being very