to his knees; but in a moment he was up again, and crooking his leg
round the shoulders of the giant, he threw him heavily to the ground.
'Stumpy black raven, come quick!' cried he; and the raven came, and
beat the giant about the head with his wings, so that he could not get
up. Then he bade Ian take out a sharp knife from under his feathers,
which he carried with him for cutting berries, and Ian smote off the
giant's head with it. And so sharp was that knife that, with one blow,
the giant's head rolled on the ground.

'Rest now this night also,' said the raven, 'and to-morrow you shall
take the knight's three daughters to the edge of the rock that leads to
the lower world. But take heed to go down first yourself, and let them
follow after you. And before I go you shall give me a piece of
tobacco.'

'Take it all,' answered Ian, 'for well have you earned it.'

'No; give me but a piece. You know what is behind you, but you have no
knowledge of what is before you.' And picking up the tobacco in his
beak, the raven flew away.

So the next morning the knight's youngest daughter loaded asses with
all the silver and gold to be found in the castle, and she set out with
Ian the soldier's son for the house where her second sister was waiting
to see what would befall. She also had asses laden with precious
things to carry away, and so had the eldest sister, when they reached
the castle where she had been kept a prisoner. Together they all rode
to the edge of the rock, and then Ian lay down and shouted, and the
basket was drawn up, and in it they got one by one, and were let down
to the bottom. When the last one was gone, Ian should have gone also,