114 SLAV TALES

“ Hurrah!” loud enough to wake the dead. The giant lifted
his head, yawned, and turned his bloodthirsty eyes upon the
prince; but seeing the sword in his hand he became quiet,
and said, “Knight, is it weariness of life that brings you
here?”

“Boast not,” replied the prince, “you are in my power.
Your glance has already lost its magic charm, and you will
soon have to die by this sword. But first tell me who
you are.”

“Tt is true, prince, J am in your hands, but be generous,
I deserve your pity. I ama knight of the race of giants, and
if it were not for the wickedness of my brother I should have
lived in peace. He is the horrible dwarf with the great hump
and the beard seven feet long. He was jealous of my fine
figure, and tried to do me an injury. You must know that
all his strength, which is extraordinary, lies in his beard, and
it can only be cut off by the sword you hold in your hand.
One day he came to me and said, ‘ Dear brother, I pray you
help me to discover the sharp smiting sword that has been
hidden in the earth by a magician. He is our enemy, and
he alone can destroy us both.’ Fool that I was, I believed
him, and by means of a large oak tree, raked up the mountain
and found the sword. Then we disputed as to which of us
should have it, and at last my brother suggested that we
should cease quarrelling and decide by lot. ‘Let us each
put an ear to the ground, and the sword shall belong to him
who first hears the bells of yonder church,’ said he. I placed
my ear to the ground at once, and my brother treacherously
cut off my head with the sword. My body, left unburied,
became a great mountain, which is now overgrown with