"Not yet," says the apple that was outside the house.
"You are flying," says the giant. The giant jumped on his feet, and to the bed he went, but it was cold--empty.
"My own daughter's tricks are trying me," said the giant. "Here's after them," says he.
At the mouth of the day, the giant's daughter said that her father's breath was burning her back.
"Put your hand, quick," said she, "in the ear of the grey filly, and whatever you find in it, throw it behind us."
No sooner did he that, than there were twenty miles of blackthorn wood, so thick that scarce a weasel could go through it.
The giant came headlong, and there he is fleecing his head and neck in the thorns.
"My own daughter's tricks are here as before," said the giant; "but if I had my own big axe and wood knife here, I would not be long making a way through this."
He went home for the big axe and the wood knife, and sure he was not long on his journey, and he was the boy behind the big axe. He was not long making a way through the blackthorn.
"I will leave the axe and the wood knife here till I return," says he.
"If you leave 'em, leave 'em," said a hoodie that was in a tree, "we'll steal 'em, steal 'em."
"If you will do that," says the giant, "I must take them home." He returned home and left them at the house.
At the heat of day the giant's daughter felt her father's breath burning her back.
"Put your finger in the filly's ear, and throw behind whatever you find in it."
He got a splinter of grey stone, and in a twinkling there were twenty miles, by breadth and height, of great grey rock behind them.
The giant came full pelt, but past the rock he could not go.
"The tricks of my own daughter are the hardest things that ever met me," says the giant; "but if I had my lever and my mighty mattock, I would not be long in making my way through this rock also."
There was no help for it, but to turn the chase for them; and he was the boy to split the stones. He was not long in making a road through the rock.
"I will leave the tools here, and I will return no more."
"If you leave 'em, leave 'em," says the hoodie, "we will steal 'em, steal 'em."
"Do that if you will; there is no time to go back."
At the time of breaking the watch, the giant's daughter said that she felt her father's breath burning her back.