ing, and so he promised him. When the king got home
again, he was very happy to see his wife again, and his young
son. She told him that she had not given the child any name
but Nicht Nought Nothing, until he should come home again
himself. The poor king was in a terrible case. He said, 'What
have I done? I promised to give the giant who carried me over
the river on his back, Nicht Nought Nothing.' The king and
the queen were sad and sorry, but they said, 'When the giant
comes we will give him the hen-wife's bairn; he will never
know the difference.' The next day the giant came to claim
the king's promise, and he sent for the hen-wife's bairn; and
the giant went away with the bairn on his back. He travelled
till he came to a big stone, and there he sat down to rest.
He said,

'Hidge Hodge, on my back, what time of day is it?'

The poor little bairn said, 'It is the time that my mother,
the hen-wife, takes up the eggs for the queen's breakfast.'

The giant was very angry, and dashed the bairn on the stone
and killed it.

* * * * *

The same adventure is repeated with the gardener's son.

* * * * *

Then the giant went back to the king's house, and said he
would destroy them all if they did not give him Nicht Nought
Nothing this time. They had to do it; and when he came to the
big stone, the giant said, 'What time of day is it?' Nicht
Nought Nothing said, 'It is the time that my father the king
will be sitting down to supper.' The giant said, 'I've got
the right ane noo;' and took Nicht Nought Nothing to his own
house and brought him up till he was a man.

The giant had a bonny dochter, and she and the lad grew very
fond of each other. The giant said one day to Nicht Nought
Nothing, 'I've work for you to-morrow. There is a stable
seven miles long and seven miles broad, and it has not been
cleaned for seven years, and you must clean it to-morrow, or
I will have you for my supper.'

The giant's dochter went out next morning with the lad's
breakfast, and found him in a terrible state, for aye as he
cleaned out a bit, it aye fell in again. The giant's dochter
said she would help him, and she cried a' the beasts o' the
field, and a' the fowls o' the air, and in a minute they a'
came,