J. F. Campbell Collection > Household stories

THE TOUNG GIANT. 275
the Bailiff, turning to his wife, said, " This slave is a good fellow ;
for, if he does sleep a long time, he yet reaches home sooner than the
others."
The young Giant after this served the Bailiff a year, iind when that
was past, and the other slaves received their wages, he thought it were
time he took his own. But the Bailiff was much distressed about the
strokes he had to receive, and he begged the head-servant to forego
them, for he would rather himself change places with him, and let him
be Bailiff, than take them. " No, no ! " said the servant, " I will not be
Bailiff. I am head-servant, and shall remain so ; but still I will divide
the conditions."
The poor Bailiff offered him what he desired ; but nothing helped ;
the servant answered " No " to all offers ; and at length, not knowing
how to manage, he requested fourteen days' respite to consider the
matter.
To this the servant consented, and the Bailiff summoned all his
secretaries to advise him what to do. For a length of time they con-
sulted, and agreed together that nobody's life was safe from the young
Giant, who knocked men down, as if they were gnats. At length they
made a decision, which was, that the man should be asked to step into
a pond and wash himself, and it was their intention that when he was
there they should I'oll upon his head one of the millstones, so as to bury
him for ever from the light of day. This advice pleased the Bailiff, and
the servant stepped into the pond, and as soon as he was below water
they threw down the largest millstone, and thought they had cracked
his head in two ; but, instead, he called out, " Hunt those hens away
from the pond-side ; they keep throwing the corn into my eyes, so that
I cannot see !" So the Bailiff made noises, as if he were chasing the
fowls away, and soon the servant reappeared, and as soon as he was out
of the water he said, " See what a fine necklace I found at the bottom!"
and when they looked they found he had put the millstone round his
neck ! The young Giant now demanded his reward, but the Bailiff
asked for another fourteen days' consideration ; and when the secretaries
were summoned they advised him to send the servant into the Enchanted
Mill to grind corn there for a night, as no one had ever yet come out
alive from the place. The proposal pleased the Bailiff", and, calling the
servant to him the same evening, he bade him fetch eight measures of
corn, which he was to grind during the night, for they were in want of
it. The servant went at once, and put two measures in his right
pocket, two in his left, and four in a sack, which he slung over his
shoulders, so that half of its contents rested on his back and half on his
breast. Thus laden he went to the Enchanted Mill, where the Miller
told him he might grind very well indeed by day, but at night the mill
was enchanted, and whoever went into it at that time was always found
dead in the morning. The young Giant told him, however, he should
get safely through, and bade him hasten away and remark what passed.
Thereupon he went into the mill and shot out the corn, and about