hold, he sunk the giant up to the shoulders in the ground.

"Mercy, mercy, kind gentleman!" cried the giant. "Spare my life!"

"I think not," said Billy, and cut off his heads.

That night the cattle gave so much milk that it ran out of the house and
made a stream, and turned a mill wheel which had not been turned for seven
years!

"It's certainly very queer," said the old gentleman; "did you see nothing
in the pasture, Billy?"

"Nothing worse than myself," said Billy.

And the next morning the gentleman said, "Billy, do you know, I only heard
one of the giants roaring in the night, and the night before only two.
What can ail them, at all?"

"Oh, maybe they are sick or something," says Billy; and with that he
drove the six cows, six horses, six donkeys, and six goats to pasture.

At about ten o'clock there was a roar like a dozen bulls, and the brother
of the two giants came out of the wood, with twelve heads on him, and fire
spouting from every one of them.

"I'll have you, my fine boy," cries he; "how will you die, then?"

"We'll see," says Billy; "come on!"

And swinging his stick round his head, he made for the giant, and drove
him up to his twelve necks in the ground. All twelve of the heads began
begging for mercy, but Billy soon cut them short. Then he drove the beasts
home.

And that night the milk overflowed the mill-stream and made a lake, nine
miles long, nine miles broad, and nine miles deep; and there are salmon
and whitefish there to this day.

"You are a fine boy," said the gentleman, "and I'll give you wages."

So Billy was herd.

The next day, his master told him to look after the house while he went up
to the king's town, to see a great sight. "What will it be?" said Billy.
"The king's daughter is to be eaten by a fiery dragon," said his master,
"unless the champion fighter they've been feeding for six weeks on
purpose kills the dragon." "Oh," said Billy.

After he was left alone, there were people passing on horses and afoot, in
coaches and chaises, in carriages and in wheelbarrows, all going to see
the great sight. And all asked Billy why he was not on his way. But Billy
said he didn't care about going.

When the last passer-by was out of sight, Billy ran and dressed himself in
his master's best suit of clothes, took the brown mare from the stable,
and was off to the king's town.

When he came there, he saw a big round place with great high seats built
up around it, and all the