“WHO’S THAT tramping over my bridge?” roared the Troll.
“IT’S I! THE BIG BILLY-GOAT GRUFF”, said the billy-goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own.
“Now, I’m coming to gobble you up”, roared the Troll.
Well, come along! I’ve got two spears,
And I’ll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;
I’ve got besides two curling-stones,
And I’ll crush you to bits, body and bones.
That was what the big billy-goat said; and so he flew at the Troll and poked his eyes out with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him out into the burn, and after that he went up to the hill-side. There the billy-goats got so fat they were scarce able to walk home again; and if the fat hasn’t fallen off them, why they’re still fat; and so:
Snip, snap, snout,
This tale’s told out.
WELL DONE AND ILL PAID
Once on a time there was a man, who had to drive his sledge to the wood for fuel. So a Bear met him.
“Out with your horse”, said the Bear, “or I’ll strike all your sheep dead by summer.”
“Oh! heaven help me then”, said the man; “there’s not a stick of firewood in the house; you must let me drive home a load of fuel, else we shall be frozen to death. I’ll bring the horse to you to-morrow morning.”