Page:Tanglewood tales (Dulac).djvu/83

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THE PYGMIES
 

among his little friends. His pine tree walking-stick lay on the ground, close by his side. His head was in one part of the kingdom, and his feet extended across the boundaries of another part; and he was taking whatever comfort he could get, while the Pygmies scrambled over him, and peeped into his cavernous mouth, and played among his hair. Sometimes, for a minute or two, the Giant dropped asleep, and snored like the rush of a whirlwind. During one of these little bits of slumber a Pygmy chanced to climb upon his shoulder, and took a view around the horizon, as from the summit of a hill; and he beheld something, a long way off, which made him rub the bright specks of his eyes, and look sharper than before. At first he mistook it for a mountain, and wondered how it had grown up so suddenly out of the earth. But soon he saw the mountain move. As it came nearer and nearer, what should it turn out to be but a human shape, not so big as Antæus, it is true, although a very enormous figure, in comparison with Pygmies, and a vast deal bigger than the men whom we see nowadays.

When the Pygmy was quite satisfied that his eyes had not deceived him, he scampered, as fast as his legs could carry him, to the Giant's ear, and stooping over its cavity, shouted lustily into it—

'Halloo, brother Antæus! Get up this minute, and take your pine tree walking-stick in your hand. Here comes another Giant to have a tussle with you.'

'Poh, poh!' grumbled Antæus, only half awake. 'None of your nonsense, my little fellow! Don't you

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