but it was in vain to look; he saw nobody.

"Finette," howled he, "why isn't the table set?"

There was no answer. The giant, furious, sprang out of bed, seized a
ladle, which looked like a caldron with a pitchfork for a handle, and
plunged it into the pot to taste the soup.

"Finette!" howled he, "you haven't salted it. What sort of soup is
this? I see neither meat nor vegetables."

No; but, in return, he saw his carpet, which had not quite all boiled
to pieces. At this sight he fell into such a fit of rage that he could
not keep his feet.

"Villains!" said he, "you have played a fine trick on me; but you
shall pay for it."

He rushed out with a stick in his hand, and strode along at such a
rate that in a quarter of an hour he discovered the two fugitives
still far from the seashore. He uttered such a cry of joy that the
earth shook for twelve leagues around.

Finette stopped, trembling. Yvon clasped her to his heart.

"_On--the Kerver!_" said he; "the sea is not far off; we shall be
there before our enemy."

"Here he is! here he is!" cried Finette, pointing to the giant not a
hundred yards off; "we are lost if this charm does not save us."

She took the copper bullet and threw it on the ground, saying,

"Copper bullet, save us, pray;
Stop the giant on his way."

And behold, the earth cracked apart with a terrific noise, and an
enormous fissure, a bottomless pit, stopped the giant just as he was
stretching out his hand to seize his prey.

"Let us fly!" cried Finette, grasping the arm of Yvon, who was gazing
at the giant with a swaggering air, defying him to come on.

The giant ran backward and forward along the abyss, like a bear in his
cage, seeking a passage everywhere and finding none; then, with a
furious jerk, he tore up an immense oak by the roots and flung it
across the gap. The branches of the oak nearly crushed the children as
it fell. The giant seated himself astride the huge tree, which bent
under his weight, and crept slowly along, suspended between heaven and
earth, entangled as he was among the branches. When he reached the
other side, Yvon and Finette were already on the shore, with the sea
rolling before them.

Alas! there was neither bark nor ship. The fugitives were lost. Yvon,
always brave, picked up stones to attack the giant and to sell his
life dearly. Finette, trembling with fear, threw one of the silver
bullets into the sea, saying,

"Silver bullet, bright and pl