J. F. Campbell Collection > Household stories

THE ROBBER AND HIS SONS. 517
was. As soon as they entered the house, they lighted a lai'ge fire, and,
tearing the body to pieces with their teeth, devoured it uncooked. After
that they took the kettle, in which was cooked the flesh of the thief, off
the fire, and divided the pieces among them for their supper. As soon
as they had done, one of them, who appeared to be tlie head, asked the
woman if what they had eaten were the flesh of her child. She said
' Yes.' And then the monster said, ' I believe that you have concealed
your child, and given us to eat one of the thieves off the tree.' So saying,
he told his companions to run off and bring him a piece of the flesh of
each of the three thieves that he might assure himself they were all there.
As soon as I heard this I ran and hung myself by the hands between the
two thieves on the rope which had been round the neck of the third.
When the monsters came, they cut a piece of flesh from the side of each
of us, and I endured the pain without suffering any cry to escape me. I
have even now the scar for a witness of the truth of the tale."
Here the Robber again ceased, and told the Queen that Avhat he had
said was intended as a ransom for his second Son, and for the third he
woukl narrate the conclusion of his tale. Then he went on thus: —
" As soon as the wild people had gone away with these three pieces
of flesh, I let myself down again and bound up my wound as well as I
could with strips of my shirt, but I could not stop the blood, which
streamed down me still. I paid no attention to that, however, but kept
thinking still how to perform my promise of saving the woman and her
child. I hastened back, therefore, to my concealment, and listened to
what was passing in the cottage. I could scarcely keep my attention
fixed, howevei*, for I felt so much pain from my wound, and, besides, I
was quite worn out with hunger and thirst. I observed, nevertheless,
the Giant trying the three pieces of flesh which were brought to him,
and when he took up the third, which was mine, he exclaimed to his
three comrades, ' Run at once and fetch me the middle thief, for his flesh
seems to me the best flavoured !' As soon as I heard this I hurried to
the gallows and suspended myself again by the rope between the two
thieves. Soon the monsters came, and pulling me down, dragged me
over the thorns and stones to the house, where they threw me on the
floor. Then, sharpening their knives, they prepared to slay and devour
me, but just as they were about to begin, there suddenly rolled such a
clap of thunder, accompanied by lightning, over the house, that the
monsters themselves trembled and paused in their work. The thunder
and lightning continued and the rain fell in torrents, while the wind blew
as if the whole cottage would be swept away. In the midst of the noise
and confusion the monsters fled out of the cottage through the window
and roof and left me lying on the ground. The storm lasted for three
hours and then daylight appeared, and soon the sun shone out. I got
up, and seeking the woman and her child, we left the ruined hut, and
for fourteen days wandered about the wilderness, subsisting on nothing
but i-oots, herbs, and berries, which grew on our path. At length we
arrived in a civilized country, and I found the husband and the wife,
whose joy you may easily imagine on the return of his wife and child."