Stranica 147 [147]
THE GALLANT TAILOR. j III
“ Now you can do that,” said the giant —" that is, if you
have the strength for it.”
“ That’s not much,’ said the little tailor, “I call that play,”
and he put his hand in his pocket and took out the cheese
and squeezed it, so that the whey ran out of it. |
“Well,” said he, “ what do you think of that ? ”
The giant did not know what to say to it, for he could not
have believed it of the little man. Then the giant took up a
stone and threw it so high that it was nearly out of sight.
“ Now, little fellow, suppose you do that !”
“ Well thrown,” said the tailor ; “ but the stone fell back to
earth again —I will throw you one that will never come back.’
So he felt in his pocket, took out the bird, and threw it into
the air. And the bird, when it found itself at liberty, took
wing, flew off, and returned no more.
“What do you think of that, comrade ?” asked the tailor.
“There is no doubt that you can throw,” said the giant ;
“but we will see if you can carry.”
He led the little tailor to a mighty oak-tree which had
been felled, and was lying on the ground, and said,
“ Now, if you are strong enough, help me to carry this tree
out of the wood.”
‘“‘Willingly,’ answered the little man; "you take the
trunk on your shoulders, I will take the branches with all
their foliage, that is much the most difficult.”
So the giant took the trunk on his shoulders, and the
tailor seated himself on a branch, and the giant, who could not
see what he was doing, had the whole tree to carry, and the
little man on it as well. And the little man was very cheerful
and merry, and whistled the tune: “ Zhere were three tailors
. riding by,” as if carrying the tree was mere child’s play. The
giant, when he had struggled on under his heavy load a part
Of the way, was tired out, and cried,
“ Look here, I must let go the tree!”
The tailor jumped off quickly, and taking hold of the tree
with both arms, as if he were carrying it, said to the giant,
“You see you can’t carry the tree though you are such a
. big fellow !”
. . They went on together a little farther, and presently they
came to a cherry-tree, and the giant took hold of the topmost