Beautiful as her face was , and though there was a smile on it , it looked just as wicked and mischievous as the ugliest serpent that ever was seen ; and fat-witted as the voyagers had made themselves , they began to suspect that they had fallen into the power of an evil-minded enchantress . `` Wretches , '' cried she , `` you have abused a lady 's hospitality ; and in this princely saloon your behavior has been suited to a hog-pen . You are already swine in everything but the human form , which you disgrace , and which I myself should be ashamed to keep a moment longer , were you to share it with me . But it will require only the slightest exercise of magic to make the exterior conform to the hoggish disposition . Assume your proper shapes , gormandizers , and begone to the sty ! '' Uttering these last words , she waved her wand ; and stamping her foot imperiously , each of the guests was struck aghast at beholding , instead of his comrades in human shape , one and twenty hogs sitting on the same number of golden thrones . Each man -LRB- as he still supposed himself to be -RRB- essayed to give a cry of surprise , but found that he could merely grunt , and that , in a word , he was just such another beast as his companions . It looked so intolerably absurd to see hogs on cushioned thrones , that they made haste to wallow down upon all fours , like other swine . They tried to groan and beg for mercy , but forthwith emitted the most awful grunting and squealing that ever came out of swinish throats . They would have wrung their hands in despair , but , attempting to do so , grew all the more desperate for seeing themselves squatted on their hams , and pawing the air with their fore trotters . Dear me ! what pendulous ears they had ! what little red eyes , half buried in fat ! and what long snouts , instead of Grecian noses ! But brutes as they certainly were , they yet had enough of human nature in them to be shocked at their own hideousness ; and still intending to groan , they uttered a viler grunt and squeal than before . So harsh and ear-piercing it was , that you would have fancied a butcher was sticking his knife into each of their throats , or , at the very least , that somebody was pulling every hog by his funny little twist of a tail . `` Begone to your sty ! '' cried the enchantress , giving them some smart strokes with her wand ; and then she turned to the serving men -- `` Drive out these swine , and throw down some acorns for them to eat . '' The door of the saloon being flung open , the drove of hogs ran in all directions save the right one , in accordance with their hoggish perversity , but were finally driven into the back yard of the palace . It was a sight to bring tears into one 's eyes -LRB- and I hope none of you will be cruel enough to laugh at it -RRB- , to see the poor creatures go snuffing along , picking up here a cabbage leaf and there a turnip top , and rooting their noses in the earth for whatever they could find .
In their sty , moreover , they behaved more piggishly than the pigs that had been born so ; XXXXX they bit and snorted at one another , put their feet in the trough , and gobbled up their victuals in a ridiculous hurry ; and , when there was nothing more to be had , they made a great pile of themselves among some unclean straw , and fell fast asleep .
at by for of on out than that though with