and pulling her tail; then the huntsman shouted in a terrible voice,
"Beware! At Antwerp one did but throw a handful of dust at her, and the
Duke made dust of him."

"Gramercy!"

"I speak sooth. The good Duke shut him up in prison, in a cell under
ground, and the rats cleaned the flesh off his bones in a night. Served
him right for molesting the poor thing."

There was a murmur of fear, and the Tergovians shrank from tickling the
leopard of their sovereign.

But an incident followed that raised their spirits again. The Duke's
giant, a Hungarian seven feet four inches high, brought up the rear.
This enormous creature had, like some other giants, a treble, fluty
voice of little power. He was a vain fellow, and not conscious of this
nor any defect. Now it happened he caught sight of Giles sitting on the
top of the balcony; so he stopped and began to make fun of him.

"Hallo! brother!" squeaked he, "I had nearly passed without seeing
thee."

"You are plain enough to see," bellowed Giles in his bass tones.

"Come on my shoulder, brother," squeaked Titan, and held out a shoulder
of mutton fist to help him down.

"If I do I'll cuff your ears," roared the dwarf.