with absolute frenzy, flourishing his immense
arms about, as if he meant not merely to kill
Hercules, but to smash the whole world to
pieces.

"Come on!" roared this thundering Giant.
"Let me hit you but one box on the ear, and
you'll never have the headache again."

Now Hercules (though strong enough, as you
already know, to hold the sky up) began to be
sensible that he should never win the victory,
if he kept on knocking Antaeus down; for, by
and by, if he hit him such hard blows, the Giant
would inevitably, by the help of his Mother
Earth, become stronger than the mighty Her-
cules himself. So, throwing down his club,
with which he had fought so many dreadful
battles, the hero stood ready to receive his
antagonist with naked arms.

"Step forward," cried he. "Since I've bro-
ken your pine tree, we'll try which is the bet-
ter man at a wrestling match."

"Aha! then I'll soon satisfy you," shouted
ihe Giant; for, if there was one thing on which
he prided himself more than another, it was
his skill in wrestling. "Villain, I'll fling

[[93]]

p092 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p093w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p094

v?