While the quarrel was going on, Niels had loaded the gun again, and just as the second giant was about to put a nice tid-bit into his mouth, bang! went the gun again, and the fork flew into a dozen pieces.
This giant was even more furious than the first had been, and words were just coming to blows, when the third giant again interposed.
‘Don’t be fools,’ he said to them; ‘what’s the good of beginning to fight among ourselves, when it is so necessary for the three of us to work together and get the upper hand over the king of this country. It will be a hard enough task as it is, but it will be altogether hopeless if we don’t stick together. Sit down again, and let us finish our meal; I shall sit between you, and then neither of you can blame the other.’
Niels was too far away to hear their talk, but from their gestures he could guess what was happening, and thought it good fun.
‘Thrice is lucky,’ said he to himself; ‘I’ll have another shot yet.’
This time it was the third giant’s fork that caught the bullet, and snapped in two.
‘Well,’ said he, ‘if I were as foolish as you two, I would also fly into a rage, but I begin to see what time of day it is, and I’m going off this minute to see who it is that’s playing these tricks with us.’
So well had the giant made his observations, that though Niels climbed down the tree as fast as he could, so as to hide among the bushes, he had just got to the ground when the enemy was upon him.
‘Stay where you are,’ said the giant, ‘or I’ll put my foot on you, and there won’t be much of you left after that.’
Niels gave in, and the giant carried him back to his comrades.
‘You don’t deserve any mercy at our hands,’ said his captor ‘but as you are such a good shot you may be of
