Now these twelve boys were most extraordinary children. Directly they
came out of the shells they seemed to be at least three months old,
such a noise did they make, crying and kicking about. The youngest of
all was a very big baby with black eyes, red cheeks, and curly hair,
and so lively and active that the old woman could hardly keep him in
his cradle at all. In twelve hours' time the children seemed to be a
year old, and could walk about and eat anything.

Then the old woman made up her mind that they should be baptized, and
thereupon sent her husband to fetch priest and organist without delay;
and the diamond wedding was celebrated at the same time as the
christening. For a short time their joy was clouded over by the
disappearance of the youngest boy, who was also the best-looking, and
his parents' favourite. They had begun to weep and mourn for him as if
he were lost, when suddenly he was seen to come from out of the
sleeves of the priest's cassock, and was heard to speak these words:
"Never fear, dear parents, your beloved son will not perish."

The old woman kissed him fondly and handed him to his godfather, who
presented him to the priest. So they had named him _Niezguinek_, that
is, _Imperishable_. The twelve boys went on growing at the rate of six
weeks every hour, and at the end of two years were fine strong young
men. Niezguinek, especially, was of extraordinary size and strength.
The good old people lived happily and peacefully at home while their
sons worked in the fields. On one occasion the latter went ploughing;
and while the eleven eldest used the ordinary plough and team of oxen,
Niezguinek made his own plough, and it had twelve ploughshares and
twelve handles, and to it were harnessed twelve team of the strongest
working oxen. The others laughed at him, but he did not mind, and
turned up as much ground as his eleven brothers together.

Another time when they went haymaking and his brothers used the
ordinary scythes, he carried one with twelve blades, and managed it so
cleverly, in spite of the jests of his companions, that he cut as much
grass as all of them together. And again, when they went to turn over
the hay, Niezguinek used a rake with twelve teeth, and so cleared
twelve plots of ground with every stroke. His haycock, too, was as
large as a hill in comparison with those of his brothers. Now, the day
after the making of the haycocks the old man and his wife happened to
be in the fields, and