And he cut a strip of the hide for a belt,
and started off on his adventures.
Presently he came to a fine place; an old gentleman lived there. So Billy
went up and knocked, and the old gentleman came to the door.
"Are you wanting a boy?" says Billy.
"I am wanting a herd-boy," says the gentleman, "to take my six cows, six
horses, six donkeys, and six goats to pasture every morning, and bring
them back at night. Maybe you'd do."
"What are the wages?" says Billy.
"Oh, well," says the gentleman, "it's no use to talk of that now; there's
three giants live in the wood by the pasture, and every day they drink up
all the milk and kill the boy that looks after the cattle; so we'll wait
to talk about wages till we see if you come back alive."
"All right," says Billy, and he entered service with the old gentleman.
The first day, he drove the six cows, six horses, six donkeys, and six
goats to pasture, and sat down by them. About noon he heard a kind of
roaring from the wood; and out rushed a giant with two heads, spitting
fire out of his two mouths.
"Oh! my fine fellow," says he to Billy, "you are too big for one swallow
and not big enough for two; how would you like to die, then? By a cut with
the sword, a blow with the fist, or a swing by the back?"
"That is as may be," says Billy, "but I'll fight you.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213