between her two hands. And after that the shadow suddenly shrank
and was still, and they knew that the giant was dead, because
they had found his soul.

Next day they mounted the two horses and rode home again,
visiting their friends the brown otter and the hoary hawk and the
slim yellow dog by the way.

From 'West Highland Tales.'






A French Puck




Among the mountain pastures and valleys that lie in the centre of
France there dwelt a mischievous kind of spirit, whose delight it
was to play tricks on everybody, and particularly on the
shepherds and the cowboys. They never knew when they were safe
from him, as he could change himself into a man, woman or child,
a stick, a goat, a ploughshare. Indeed, there was only one thing
whose shape he could not take, and that was a needle. At least,
he could transform himself into a needle, but try as he might he
never was able to imitate the hole, so every woman would have
found him out at once, and this he knew.