But when some time had elapsed and nothing more of the Giants appeared above the surface of the potato-field, and as moreover the heads had not yet displayed any sign of opening their mouths, the people began to feel a little easier, and the general excitement subsided somewhat, although the King had ordered out Ariadne Diana’s body-guard again.

Now AEneas had been born with a propensity for putting everything into his mouth and tasting it; there was scarcely anything in his vicinity which could by any possibility be tasted, which he had not eaten a bit of.  This propensity was so alarming in his babyhood, that Daphne purchased a book of antidotes; and if it had not been for her admirable good judgment in doing so, this story would probably never have been told; for no human baby could possibly have survived the heterogeneous diet which AEneas had indulged in.  There was scarcely one of the antidotes which had not been resorted to from time to time.

AEneas had become acquainted with the peculiar flavor of almost everything in his immediate vicinity except the Giant’s heads; and he naturally enough cast longing eyes at them.  Night and day he wondered what a Giant’s head could taste like, till finally one day when Patroclus was away he stole out into the potato-field, cut a bit out of one of the Giant’s heads and ate it.  He was almost afraid to, but he reflected that his mother could give him an antidote; so he ventured.  It tasted very sweet and nice; he liked it so much that he cut off another piece and ate that, then another and another, until he had eaten two thirds of a Giant’s head.  Then he thought it was about time for him to go in and tell his mother and take an antidote, though he did not feel ill at all yet.

“Mother,” said he, rolling slowly into the cottage, “I have eaten two thirds of a Giant’s head, and I guess you had better give me an antidote.”

“O, my precious son!” cried Daphne, “how could you?” She looked in her book of antidotes, but could not find one antidote for a Giant’s head.

“O AEneas, my dear, dear son!” groaned Daphne, “there is no antidote for Giant’s head!  What shall we do?”

Then she sat down and wept, and AEneas wept too as loud as he possibly could.  And he apparently had excellent reason to; for it did not seem possible that a boy could eat two thirds of a Giant’s head and survive it without an antidote.  Patroclus came home, and they told him, and he sat down and lamented with them.  All day they sat weeping and watching AEneas, expecting every moment to see him die.  But he did not die; on the contrary he had never felt so well in his life.

Finally at sunset AEneas looked up and laughed.  “I am not going to die,” said he; “I never felt so well; you had better stop crying.  And I am going out to get some more of that Giant’s head; I am hungry.”

“Don’t, don’t!” cried his father and mother; but he went; for he generally took his own way, very like most only sons.  He came back with a whole Giant’s head in his arms.