` 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 in it , ' said the queen , ` so I put it further back on the ledge . ' ` It is not there that my soul is , ' answered he , ` it is on the threshold . But it is time the horses were fed ; ' and he fetched the hay , and gave it to them , and they bit and kicked him as before , till he lay half dead on the ground . Next morning he rose and went out , and the queen ran to the threshold of the cave , and washed the stones , and pulled up some moss and little flowers that were hidden in the crannies , and by and bye when dusk had fallen the giant came home . ` You have been cleaning the threshold , ' said he . ` And was I not right to do it , seeing that your soul is in it ? ' asked the queen . ` It is not there that my soul is , ' answered the giant . ` Under the threshold is a stone , and under the stone is a sheep , and in the sheep 's body is a duck , and in the duck is an egg , and in the egg is my soul . But it is late , and I must feed the horses ; ' and he brought them the hay , but they only bit and kicked him as before , and if his soul had been within him , they would have killed him outright . It was still dark when the giant got up and went his way , and then the king and the queen ran forward to take up the threshold , while the horses looked on . But sure enough ! just as the giant had said , underneath the threshold was the flagstone , and they pulled and tugged till the stone gave way .
Then something jumped out so suddenly , that it nearly knocked them down , and XXXXX it fled past , they saw it was a sheep .
Under as at by for from lest of so to