said: "Shame on the wit that helped you; but I have a worse job for
you to-morrow." Then he said to Nix Nought Nothing: "There's a lake
seven miles long, and seven miles deep, and seven miles broad, and you
must drain it to-morrow by nightfall, or else I'll have you for my
supper." Nix Nought Nothing began early next morning and tried to lave
the water with his pail, but the lake was never getting any less, and
he didn't know what to do; but the giant's daughter called on all the
fish in the sea to come and drink the water, and very soon they drank
it dry. When the giant saw the work done he was in a rage, and said:
"I've a worse job for you to-morrow; there is a tree, seven miles
high, and no branch on it, till you get to the top, and there is a
nest with seven eggs in it, and you must bring down all the eggs
without breaking one, or else I'll have you for my supper." At first
the giant's daughter did not know how to help Nix Nought Nothing; but
she cut off first her fingers and then her toes, and made steps of
them, and he clomb the tree and got all the eggs safe till he came
just to the bottom, and then one was broken. So they determined to run
away together and after the giant's daughter had tidied up her hair a
bit and got her magic flask they set out together as fast as they
could run. And they hadn't got but three fields away when they looked
back and saw the giant walking along at top speed after them. "Quick,
quick," called out the giant's daughter, "take my comb from my hair
and throw it down." Nix Nought Nothing took her comb from her hair and
threw it down, and out of every one of its prongs there sprung up a
fine thick briar in the way of the giant. You may be sure it took him
a long time to work his way through the briar bush and by the time he
was well through Nix Nought Nothing and his sweetheart had run on a
tidy step away from him. But he soon came along after them and was
just like to catch 'em up when the giant's daughter called out to Nix
Nought Nothing, "Take my hair dagger and throw it down, quick, quick."