His way led up a hill, on the top of which sat a powerful
giant, who was calmly surveying the landscape.
The little tailor went up to him, and greeting him
cheerfully said: “Good-day, friend; there
you sit at your ease viewing the whole wide world.
I’m just on my way there. What do you say
to accompanying me?” The giant looked contemptuously
at the tailor, and said: “What a poor wretched
little creature you are!” “That’s
a good joke,” answered the little tailor, and
unbuttoning his coat he showed the giant the girdle.
“There now, you can read what sort of a fellow
I am.” The giant read: “Seven
at a blow”; and thinking they were human beings
the tailor had slain, he conceived a certain respect
for the little man. But first he thought he’d
test him, so taking up a stone in his hand, he squeezed
it till some drops of water ran out. “Now
you do the same,” said the giant, “if
you really wish to be thought strong.”
“Is that all?” said the little tailor;
“that’s child’s play to me,”
so he dived into his wallet, brought out the cheese,
and pressed it till the whey ran out. “My
squeeze was in sooth better than yours,” said
he. The giant didn’t know what to say,
for he couldn’t have believed it of the little
fellow. To prove him again, the giant lifted
a stone and threw it so high that the eye could hardly
follow it. “Now, my little pigmy, let me
see you do that.” “Well thrown,”
said the tailor; “but, after all, your stone
fell to the ground; I’ll throw one that won’t
come down at all.” He dived into his wallet
again, and grasping the bird in his hand, he threw
it up into the air. The bird, enchanted to be
free, soared up into the sky, and flew away never
to return. “Well, what do you think of that
little piece of business, friend?” asked the
tailor. “You can certainly throw,”
said the giant; “but now let’s see if
you can carry a proper weight.” With these
words he led the tailor to a huge oak tree which had
been felled to the ground, and said: “If
you are strong enough, help me to carry the tree out
of the wood.” “Most certainly,”
said the little tailor: “just you take
the trunk on your shoulder; I’ll bear the top
and branches, which is certainly the heaviest part.”
The giant laid the trunk on his shoulder, but the
tailor sat at his ease among the branches; and the
giant, who couldn’t see what was going on behind
him, had to carry the whole tree, and the little tailor
into the bargain. There he sat behind in the
best of spirits, lustily whistling a tune, as if carrying
the tree were mere sport. The giant, after dragging
the heavy weight for some time, could get on no further,
and shouted out: “Hi! I must let the
tree fall.” The tailor sprang nimbly down,
seized the tree with both hands as if he had carried
it the whole way and said to the giant: “Fancy
a big lout like you not being able to carry a tree!”