and strongly built. Pushing back the heavy
ebony doors we entered the courtyard, but upon the threshold of the
great hall beyond it we paused, frozen with horror, at the sight which
greeted us. On one side lay a huge pile of bones--human bones; and on
the other numberless spits for roasting! Overcome with despair we sank
trembling to the ground, and lay there without speech or motion. The sun
was setting when a loud noise aroused us, the door of the hall was
violently burst open and a horrible giant entered. He was as tall as a
palm tree, and perfectly black, and had one eye, which flamed like a
burning coal in the middle of his forehead. His teeth were long and
sharp and grinned horribly, while his lower lip hung down upon his
chest, and he had ears like elephant's ears, which covered his
shoulders, and nails like the claws of some fierce bird.

At this terrible sight our senses left us and we lay like dead men. When
at last we came to ourselves the giant sat examining us attentively with
his fearful eye. Presently when he had looked at us enough he came
towards us, and stretching out his hand took me by the back of the neck,
turning me this way and that, but feeling that I was mere skin and bone
he set me down again and went on to the next, whom he treated in the
same fashion; at last he came to the captain, and finding him the
fattest of us all, he took him up in one hand and stuck him upon a spit
and proceeded to kindle a huge fire at which he presently roasted him.
After the giant had supped he lay down to sleep, snoring like the
loudest thunder, while we lay shivering with horror the whole night
through, and when day broke he awoke and went out, leaving us in the
castle.

When we believed him to be really gone we started up bemoaning our
horrible fate, until the hall echoed with our despairing cries. Though
we were many and our enemy was alone it did not occur to us to kill him,
and indeed we should have found that a hard task, even if we had thought
of it, and no plan could we devise to deliver ourselves. So at last,
submitting to our sad fate, we spent the day in wandering up and down
the island eating such fruits as we could find, and when night came we
returned to the castle, having sought in vain for any other place of
shelter. At sunset the giant returned, supped upon one of our unhappy
comrades, slept and snored till dawn, and then left us as before. Our
condition seemed to us so frightful that several of