and he was naked to the waist. Great streams of sweat, like brooks in
flood-time, poured off his body. When these rivers of sweat struck the
ground, they sizzled mightily and turned into fountains of steam that
rose in the air like the geysers in Yellowstone Park, it was so hot in
the place.

Marmaduke felt pretty warm himself, and he mopped his face with the
handkerchief which he had won in the Jack Horner pie at the church
sociable. It had pictures of pink and blue ducks and geese on it, and
it looked very small beside the handkerchief with which the Giant was
mopping his face. That was as big as a circus tent. Marmaduke himself
looked very small beside the stranger. When the little boy stretched out
his hand, he just reached the nail on the Giant's great toe.

The three little yellow men were exclaiming:--

[Illustration]

Which meant that this was the centre of the Earth.

"But what is he doing that for--shovelling all that coal in the
furnace when it's so hot already we're most roasting!" complained
their little American guest.

His voice was almost lost in the tremendous place. It was strange that
it ever reached the Giant's ear, which was hundreds of feet above
Marmaduke's head, but nevertheless the Giant did hear it, for he
called:--

"Now, you three Chinamen keep your jabbering tongues still," he said,