He was always ready to do them any good offices that lay in his power ; as for example , when they wanted a breeze to turn their windmills , the Giant would set all the sails a-going with the mere natural respiration of his lungs . When the sun was too hot , he often sat himself down , and let his shadow fall over the kingdom , from one frontier to the other ; and as for matters in general , he was wise enough to let them alone , and leave the Pygmies to manage their own affairs -- which , after all , is about the best thing that great people can do for little ones . In short , as I said before , Antaeus loved the Pygmies , and the Pygmies loved Antaeus . The Giant 's life being as long as his body was large , while the lifetime of a Pygmy was but a span , this friendly intercourse had been going on for innumerable generations and ages . It was written about in the Pygmy histories , and talked about in their ancient traditions . The most venerable and white-bearded Pygmy had never heard of a time , even in his greatest of grandfathers ' days , when the Giant was not their enormous friend . Once , to be sure -LRB- as was recorded on an obelisk , three feet high , erected on the place of the catastrophe -RRB- , Antaeus sat down upon about five thousand Pygmies , who were assembled at a military review . But this was one of those unlucky accidents for which nobody is to blame ; so that the small folks never took it to heart , and only requested the Giant to be careful forever afterwards to examine the acre of ground where he intended to squat himself . It is a very pleasant picture to imagine Antaeus standing among the Pygmies , like the spire of the tallest cathedral that ever was built , while they ran about like pismires at his feet ; and to think that , in spite of their difference in size , there were affection and sympathy between them and him ! Indeed , it has always seemed to me that the Giant needed the little people more than the Pygmies needed the Giant . For , unless they had been his neighbors and well wishers , and , as we may say , his playfellows , Antaeus would not have had a single friend in the world . No other being like himself had ever been created . No creature of his own size had ever talked with him , in thunder-like accents , face to face . When he stood with his head among the clouds , he was quite alone , and had been so for hundreds of years , and would be so forever . Even if he had met another Giant , Antaeus would have fancied the world not big enough for two such vast personages , and , instead of being friends with him , would have fought him till one of the two was killed . But with the Pygmies he was the most sportive and humorous , and merry-hearted , and sweet-tempered old Giant that ever washed his face in a wet cloud . His little friends , like all other small people , had a great opinion of their own importance , and used to assume quite a patronizing air towards the Giant . `` Poor creature ! '' they said one to another . `` He has a very dull time of it , all by himself ; and we ought not to grudge wasting a little of our precious time to amuse him .
He is not half so bright as we are , XXXXX be sure ; and , for that reason , he needs us to look after his comfort and happiness .
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