A stranger , my lord ! no stranger ever comes here , not even the sun ! ' and the king 's wife laughed gaily as she went up to the giant and stroked the huge hand which hung down by his side . ` Well , I perceive nothing , certainly , ' answered he , ` but it is very odd . However , it is time that the horses were fed ; ' and he lifted down an armful of hay from a shelf of rock and held out a handful to each animal , who moved forward to meet him , leaving the king behind . As soon as the giant 's hands were near their mouths they each made a snap , and began to bit them , so that his groans and shrieks might have been heard a mile off . Then they wheeled round and kicked him till they could kick no more . At length the giant crawled away , and lay quivering in a corner , and the queen went up to him . ` Poor thing ! poor thing ! ' she said , ` they seem to have gone mad ; it was awful to behold . ' ` If I had had my soul in my body they would certainly have killed me , ' groaned the giant . ` It was lucky indeed , ' answered the queen ; ` but tell me , where is thy soul , that I may take care of it ? ' ` Up there , in the Bonnach stone , ' answered the giant , pointing to a stone which was balanced loosely on an edge of rock . ` But now leave me , that I may sleep , for I have far to go to-morrow . ' Soon snores were heard from the corner where the giant lay , and then the queen lay down too , and the horses , and the king was hidden between them , so that none could see him . Before the dawn the giant rose and went out , and immediately the queen ran up to the Bonnach stone , and tugged and pushed at it till it was quite steady on its ledge , and could not fall over . And so it was in the evening when the giant came home ; and when they saw his shadow , the king crept down in front of the horses . ` Why , what have you done to the Bonnach stone ? ' asked the giant . '
I feared lest it should fall over , and be broken , with your soul XXXXX it , ' said the queen , ` so I put it further back on the ledge . '
At Before as from in near of that till to