and would be so forever. Even if he bad met
another Giant, Antaeus would have fancied the
world not big enough for two such vast person-
ages, and, instead of being friends with him,
would have fought him till one of the two was
killed. But with the Pygmies he was the most
sportive, and humorous, and merry-hearted, and
sweet-tempered old Giant that ever washed his
face in a wet cloud.

His little friends, like all other small people,
had a great opinion of their own importance,
and used to assume quite a patronizing air
towards the Giant.

"Poor creature!" they said one to another.
"He has a very dull time of it, all by himself;
and we ought not to grudge wasting a little of
our precious time to amuse him. He is not half
so bright as we are, to be sure; and, for that
reason, he needs us to look after his comfort
and happiness. Let us be kind to the old fel-
low. Why, if Mother Earth had not been very
kind to ourselves, we might all have been
Giants too."

On all their holidays, the Pygmies had ex
cellent sport with Antaeus He often stretched

[[78]]

p077 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p078w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p079

v?