MAGIC FOOD
The Giant cannot understand how Ned can eat cheese.
MAGIC FOOD
"PUSS IN BOOTS, who had reached the castle in advance of the royalparty, opened the door and said with a low bow to the wicked ogre:
"'I hear you have the power to change yourself into any animal.'
"'That is true,' answered the ogre, so pleased that at once he turnedhimself into a lion.
"'I doubt if you can become as small as a mouse,' said Puss in Boots.
"Instantly the ogre changed himself into a mouse, whereupon Puss inBoots pounced upon him and ate him up.
"At that moment up drove the coach. Throwing open the castle door, Pussin Boots said with a hospitable bow:
"'Welcome to the castle of my Lord of Carabas.' And, to make a longstory short," laughed Ned, "his master married the King's daughter andlived happily ever after."
"Whew!" gasped the giant. "He certainly was a wonderful cat," and helooked anxiously at the Magic Axe.
Presently Ned began to feel hungry, and opening his knapsack, took outhis bread and cheese.
"What is that white stuff?" asked the giant, who had never seen cheesebefore.
"That is a stone," answered Ned, commencing to eat it with a hungryappetite.
"Do you eat stones?" asked the giant.
"Oh yes," answered Ned. "That's my regular food, which explains why I'mnot so big as you who eat oxen; but it's also the reason why, little asI am, I am ten times as strong as you are. Now take me to your house."
The giant looked at the Magic Axe which had so nearly destroyed hisforest, and then at Ned eating a stone with apparent relish.
"I will," he said, and humbly led the way to his monstrous cabin.
"Now listen," said Ned to the giant after they were fairly seated, "oneof us must be the master, and the other the servant. If I can't dowhatever you do, I am to be your slave; if you're not able to dowhatever I do, you are to be mine."
"Agreed," said the giant. "I'd be tickled to death to have a littleservant like you. It's too much work for me to think, and you havebrains enough for both. Well, let's start the trial. Here are my twobuckets,--go and get the water to make the soup!"
Ned looked at the buckets, the tops of which he couldn't even see, forthey were two enormous hogsheads, ten feet high and six broad. It wouldhave been much easier for him to drown himself in them than to movethem.
"Ho, ho!" shouted the giant. "Do what I do and get the water."
"What's the good of that?" replied Ned. "I'll go get the spring itselfto put in the pot," knowing that he could easily run back to the king'scastle for the little magic nutshell.
"No, no!" said the giant, "that won't do. You have already half spoiledmy forest with your Magic Axe. I don't want you to take my spring away.You may attend to the fire, and I'll go for the water."
So the giant hung up the kettle, put into it an ox cut into pieces,fifty cabbages, and a wagon-load of carrots, skimming the broth with afrying pan, tasting it every now and then until it was done. Wheneverything was ready, he turned and said:
"Now we'll see if you can do what I can. I feel like eating the wholeox, and you into the bargain. I think I'll serve you for dessert."
"All right," answered little Ned. But before sitting down he slipped hisknapsack under his jacket.
Then the two champions set to work. Perhaps Ned was a trifle nervous,knowing only too well that if he failed he must be the giant's servant.
Well, the giant ate and ate, and Ned wasn't idle; only he pitchedeverything, beef, cabbage, carrots, and all, into his knapsack when thegiant wasn't looking.
"Ouf!" at last grunted the giant, "I can't do much more. I've got toundo the lower button of my waistcoat."
"Eat away, starveling!" cried Ned, sticking half a cabbage into hisknapsack.
"Ouf!" groaned the giant, "I must loosen another button. But what sortof an ostrich's stomach have you got, Kiddo? I should say you were usedto eating stones!"
"Eat away, lazy-bones!" said Ned, sticking a huge chunk of beef into hisknapsack.
"Ouf!" sighed the giant for the third time, "I must open the thirdbutton."
"Bah!" answered Ned. "It's the easiest thing to relieve yourself," andtaking his knife, he slit his jacket and the knapsack under it the wholelength of his stomach. "Now's your turn. Do as I do, _if you can!_"
"Excuse me!" gasped the giant. "You win. I'd rather be your servantthan do that."
Then kissing Ned's hand in token of submission, he lifted his littlemaster on his shoulder, and slinging the six bags of gold over his back,started off through the forest.
"Wait a minute," said Ned, "I've forgotten my Magic tools." So the giantpicked them up and thrusting them in his pocket, again set off at atremendous rate.
After a while, they came in sight of a great castle where lived a lordeven more wicked than the cruel Blue Beard. As they drew nearer, theyheard loud screams like those of some fair lady in distress. The nextminute the wicked lord dragged a lovely lady by the hair across thecourtyard.
With one stride the giant stepped over the castle wall.
"Shall I toss him over the moon?" he asked.
"No, leave him to me," replied Ned. The wicked lord trembled and grew aspale as a white swan that swam nearby in a beautiful fountain.
"My giant servant at a sign from me, will pitch you over the moon. Butinstead, as you have the reputation of being the greatest liar that everlived, we will see who can tell the biggest story, you or I. If youlose, you shall give your castle to this fair lady and take yourselfoff, I don't care where, but you must never return."
At once the wicked lord commenced to tell the biggest story he couldimagine.
"I have a bull so large that a man can sit on each of his horns, and thetwo can't touch each other with a twenty foot pole."
"Oh, that's nothing," replied Ned. "At home on the farm we have a bullso large that a servant sitting on one of his horns can't see theservant sitting on the other."
"You win," laughed the pretty princess, clapping her hands at Ned. Thenthe wicked lord went to his stable and saddling his best horse, rodeaway. But as he passed through the gate, Ned touched his steed with hismagic gold ring. Instantly the horse turned into an immense bird andflew away. But where he went no one knows to this day.