"All right," they answered. "If you wish to be one of us, are you ready to eat human flesh and take a share in our Adventures?"
"Yes, that I will," said the Prince. "What you do, that will I do also."
"Faith, then all is well!" they said. "Sit down among us."
They settled themselves around the fire. The caldron was taken off, its contents served, and the meal began. The Prince received his share, but he knew how to manage, and, instead of eating, he slyly threw the meat, bit by bit, behind him. He did the same with the roast. Then the Giants said:
"Come, now, we must go a-hunting, for we must eat to-morrow as well as to-day."
So the nine Giants set out, with the Prince for a tenth.
"Come," they said to him, "not far from here is a town in which reigns an Emperor. His city has fed us for several years."
As they drew near to the city they pulled up two fir-trees by the roots and carried them along. When they reached the town they set one of the trees against the wall and called to the Prince, "Come on, climb up the wall here, and we will hand you the second tree. Seize it by the point and let it down on the other side, but keep hold of the top so that we may climb down by the trunk."
The Prince accordingly scrambled up, but on receiving the second tree he called out, "I don't know where to stand it; I am not familiar with the place and dare not shove it over. Do one of you come up and show me, and then I will make it all right."
One of the Giants climbed up to him, seized the fir-tree by the point, and let it down on the other side of the wall. As he stood thus bent over, the Prince drew his sword and struck off his head, and the dead Giant tumbled off the wall into the city.