“Oh, then, sister’s son from Erin,” said the giant, “it’s the poor night’s rest I gave you; but if you had a bad bed, you must have a good breakfast.”
With that, the giant rose, and the two ate the best breakfast that could be had out of Erin.
After breakfast, the king’s son took the giant’s blessing with him, and left his own behind. He travelled all that day with great speed and without halt or rest, till he came in the evening to the castle of the second giant. In front of the door was a pavement of sharp razors, edges upward, a pavement which no man could walk on. Long, poisonous needles, set as thickly as bristles in a brush, were fixed, points downward, under the lintel of the door, and the door was low.
The king’s son went in with one start over the razors and under the needles, without grazing his head or cutting his feet. When inside, he saw a woman before him.
“God save you!” said the king’s son.
“God save yourself!” said the woman.
The same conversation passed between them then as passed between himself and the woman in the first castle.
“God help you!” said the woman, when she heard his story. “’Tis not long you’ll be alive after the giant comes. Here’s a drink of wine to strengthen you.”
Barely had he the wine swallowed when there was a great noise behind the castle, and the next moment the giant came in with a thundering and rattling.
“Who is this that I see?” asked he, and with that, he sprang at the stranger to put the life out of him; but the king’s son struck him on the breast with the second cake which he got from his foster-mother. That moment the giant knew him, and called out, “A strange welcome I had for you, sister’s son from Erin, but you’ll get good treatment from me now.”