"What in the world, my little fellow," ejacu-
lated Hercules, "may you be?"

"I am your enemy," answered the valiant
Pygmy, in his mightiest squeak. "You have
slain the enormous Antaeus, our brother by the
mother's side, and for ages the faithful ally of
our illustrious nation. We are determined to
put you to death; and for my own part, I chal-
lenge you to instant battle, on equal ground."

Hercules was so tickled with the Pygmy's big
words and warlike gestures, that he burst into
a great explosion of laughter, and almost dropped
the poor little mite of a creature off the palm of
his hand, through the ecstasy and convulsion of
his merriment.

"Upon my word," cried he, "I thought I had
seen wonders before to-day hydras with nine
heads, stags with golden horns, six-legged men,
three-headed dogs, giants with furnaces in their
stomachs, and nobody knows what besides. But
here, on the palm of my hand, stands a wonder
that outdoes them all! Your body, my little
friend, is about the size of an ordinary man'? fin
ger. Pray, how big may your soul be!'

"As big as your own!" said the Pygmy.

[[105]]

p104 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p105w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p106

v?