196 PRINCE RICARDO.

being handy with the pen, the Giant hopes you
will excuse mistakes and bad writing.”

Dick simply gazed with amazement.

“If ever I thought an enemy was killed and
done for, it was that Giant,” said he. ‘“‘ Why,
I made mere mince-collops of him !”

However, he could not refuse a challenge,
not to speak of his duty to rid the world of so
greedyand odiousatyrant. Dick, therefore, took
the usual things (which the king had secretly
restored), but first he tried them—putting on
the Cap of Darkness before the glass, in which
he could not see himself. On second thoughts,
he considered it unfair to take the cap. All
the other articles were in working order.
Jaqueline on this occasion followed him in the
disguise of a crow, flying overhead.

On reaching the cavern—a huge tunnel in
the rock—where the Giant lived, Ricardo blew
a blast on the horn which hung outside, and,
in obedience to a written notice, knocked also
with a mace provided by the Giant for that
purpose. Presently he heard heavy footsteps
sounding along the cavern, and the Giant came
out. He was above the common. height :for
giants, and his whole face and body were
seamed over with little red lines, crossing each
other like tartan. These were marks of en-
counters, in which he had been cut to bits and
come together again; for this was his peculiarity,
which made him so dangerous. If you cut off