“On what journey art thou, renowned Kiss Miklos?”
“On what journey? Haho! better thou hadst not asked. I am going for the Green Daughter of the Green King. Hast thou heard of her?”
“I have not, in truth,” answered Great Drinker; “I speak not of that, but of this: take me with thee, for mayhap thou’lt get good of me.”
“Well, come on thy own legs, if it please thee.”
So there were three of them, and they travelled and journeyed after that till they saw a man running on the plain towards cattle, and he thrust the beautiful bullocks one by one into his mouth as I would a piece of bread, and swallowed them, hide and horns, one after the other; and even when he had swallowed all the standing herd of three hundred and sixty-six bullocks, he called out unceasingly: “Oh, I am hungry! Oh, I am hungry!” This was Great Eater who, when he saw Miklos, went to him and said: “God give thee a good-day, renowned Kiss Miklos; for in my world-beautiful life I have ever heard thy fame.”
“God keep thee, Great Eater!”
“What journey art thou on, renowned Kiss Miklos?”
“Better thou hadst not asked. I am going for the Green Daughter of the Green King. Hast thou heard of her?”
“I have not heard, in truth,” answered Great Eater; “but take me with thee, mayhap thou’lt get good of me.”
“Well, come on thy own legs, if it please thee.”