the day, and at night work away again at the hole in the door, which
he hoped to enlarge enough soon, to enable him to escape. He had not
much time, however, for thought; for the giant and his wife soon came
in. By peeping out a little, he could just see their great feet
shuffling over the wide floor.

"And now, wife." says Huggermugger, "bring me my boots." He was a lazy
giant, and his wife spoiled him, by waiting on him too much.

"Which boots, my dear," says she.

"Why, the long ones," says he; "I am going a hunting to-day, and shall
have to cross the marshes."

Little Jacket hoped the long boots were not those in one of which he
was concealed, but unfortunately they were the very ones. So he felt a
great hand clutch up the boots, and him with them, and put them down
in another place. Huggermugger then took up one of the boots and drew
it on, with a great grunt. He now proceeded to take up the other.
Little Jacket's first impulse was to run out and throw himself on the
giant's mercy, but he feared lest he should be taken for a rat.
Besides he now thought of a way to defend himself, at least for a
while. So he drew from his belt one of the long thorns he had cut from
the bush by the seaside, and held it ready to thrust it into his
adversary's foot, if he could. But he forgot that though it was as a
sword in _his_ hand, it was but a thorn to a giant. Huggermugger
had drawn the boot nearly on, and Little Jacket's daylight was all
gone, and the giant's great toes were pressing down on him, when he
gave them as fierce a thrust as he could with his thorn.