egan to snore so frightfully that the poor children
were no less afraid of him than when he held up his great knife and was
going to cut their throats. Little Thumb was not so much frightened as
his brothers, and told them that they should run away immediately toward
home while the Ogre was asleep so soundly, and that they should not be
in any pain about him. They took his advice, and got home presently.
Little Thumb came up to the Ogre, pulled off his boots gently and put
them on his own legs. The boots were very long and large, but, as they
were fairies, they had the gift of becoming big and little, according to
the legs of those who wore them; so that they fitted his feet and legs
as well as if they had been made on purpose for him. He went immediately
to the Ogre's house, where he saw his wife crying bitterly for the loss
of the Ogre's murdered daughters.

"Your husband," said Little Thumb, "is in very great danger, being taken
by a gang of thieves, who have sworn to kill him if he does not give
them all his gold and silver. The very moment they held their daggers
at his throat he perceived me, and desired me to come and tell you the
condition he is in, and that you should give me whatsoever he has of
value, without retaining any one thing; for otherwise they will kill him
without mercy; and, as his case is very pressing, he desired me to make
use (you see I have them on) of his boots, that I might make the more
haste and to show you that I do not impose upon you."

The good woman, being sadly frightened, gave him all she had: for this
Ogre was a very good husband, though he used to eat up little children.
Little Thumb, having thus got all the Ogre's money, came home to his
father's house, where he was received with abundance of joy.

There are many people who do not agree in this circumstance, and pretend
that Little Thumb never robbed the Ogre at all, and that he only thought
he might very justly, and with a safe conscience, take off his boots
of seven leagues, because he made no other use of them but to run after
little children. These folks affirm that they are very well assured of
this, and the more as having drunk and eaten often at the fagot-maker's
house. They aver that when Little Thumb had taken off the Ogre's boots
he went to Court, where he was informed that they were very much in pain
about a certain army, which was two hundred leagues off, and the success
of a battle. He went, say they, to the King, a