Upon this, one of the young giants took hold of Shamruck by the right shoulder, while the other took him by the left, and they endeavored to turn him around. If you have ever tried to twist a lamp-post, you will know how hard it was to turn Shamruck around. The two young giants could not do it. Shamruck let them try for a little while, and then turning suddenly, he took one of them by his belt and the back of his neck and hurled him heels over head into the middle of the river. He then caught the other fellow by his collar. The young giant, very much frightened, seized hold of a small tree, to which he held with all his might and main. Shamruck paid no attention to this, but gave him such a tremendous jerk that the tree came up by the roots, and both it and the giant went splash into the river.
Shamruck then continued his walk, and the two young giants came out of the river, and went home, with their minds firmly made up that they would never again try to make Shamruck do anything he did not wish to.
There was a little shoemaker in the city who thought he had a very good idea. He went boldly up to the castle, and found Shamruck sitting in his front door.
"You needn't throw me back to my home. I have come only to ask you to let me make you a pair of new boots. You will want them if you are going on a journey."
The giant looked at his boots, which were very old and worn. "Yes," he said, "I do want a new pair. How long will it take you to make them?"
"They can be done Friday night," said the shoemaker.
"That won't do," said Shamruck, "for I shall want to wear them at least a day, so as to make them easy before I begin my journey."
"Very well, you shall have them to-morrow night."
At the appointed time the boots were done, and each was carried by four shoemakers up to the giant's castle. Shamruck thought they were very well made boots.
"There is a good deal of iron about the heels," he said.