Away it went , over mountains and valleys , and , for aught I know , was heard on the other side of the African deserts . As for the Pygmies , their capital city was laid in ruins by the concussion and vibration of the air ; and , though there was uproar enough without their help , they all set up a shriek out of three millions of little throats , fancying , no doubt , that they swelled the Giant 's bellow by at least ten times as much . Meanwhile , Antaeus had scrambled upon his feet again , and pulled his pine tree out of the earth ; and , all aflame with fury , and more outrageously strong than ever , he ran at Hercules , and brought down another blow . `` This time , rascal , '' shouted he , `` you shall not escape me . '' But once more Hercules warded off the stroke with his club , and the Giant 's pine tree was shattered into a thousand splinters , most of which flew among the Pygmies , and did them more mischief than I like to think about . Before Antaeus could get out of the way , Hercules let drive again , and gave him another knock-down blow , which sent him heels over head , but served only to increase his already enormous and insufferable strength . As for his rage , there is no telling what a fiery furnace it had now got to be . His one eye was nothing but a circle of red flame . Having now no weapons but his fists , he doubled them up -LRB- each bigger than a hogshead -RRB- , smote one against the other , and danced up and down with absolute frenzy , flourishing his immense arms about , as if he meant not merely to kill Hercules , but to smash the whole world to pieces . `` Come on ! '' roared this thundering Giant . `` Let me hit you but one box on the ear , and you 'll never have the headache again . '' Now Hercules -LRB- though strong enough , as you already know , to hold the sky up -RRB- began to be sensible that he should never win the victory , if he kept on knocking Antaeus down ; for , by and by , if he hit him such hard blows , the Giant would inevitably , by the help of his Mother Earth , become stronger than the mighty Hercules himself . So , throwing down his club , with which he had fought so many dreadful battles , the hero stood ready to receive his antagonist with naked arms . `` Step forward , '' cried he . `` Since I 've broken your pine tree , we 'll try which is the better man at a wrestling match . '' `` Aha ! then I 'll soon satisfy you , '' shouted the Giant ; for , if there was one thing on which he prided himself more than another , it was his skill in wrestling . `` Villain , I 'll fling you where you can never pick yourself up again . '' On came Antaeus , hopping and capering with the scorching heat of his rage , and getting new vigor wherewith to wreak his passion , every time he hopped .
But Hercules , you must understand , was wiser than this numskull XXXXX a Giant , and had thought of a way to fight him -- huge , earth-born monster that he was -- and to conquer him too , in spite of all that his Mother Earth could do for him .
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