PICCOLETTA AND THE PECCHIO. 239 



But these also drew back in terrible alarm, when, grinning at 

 them from within the cavity, they perceived the terrible tusks 

 of the Ogre's very self. With desperate resolution, or in 

 desperate fear, they took, however, a second look ; when, lo ! 

 they perceived, to their infinite relief, that they were only 

 confronted by the monster's eyeless skull ; all that was left, 

 except a few other detached fragments, of one, at least, of 

 their redoubted enemies. 



The little Piccoletta was as surprised as anybody, on sight 

 of the ugly remains which had been her fellow-travellers 

 through the air. The history of her second escape was soon 

 told. When she awoke from her sleep of terror, on the bed 

 of sand in the pitfall where her friends had left her with so 

 little ceremony, she looked first at the ball, whose issuing 

 tenant had so sorely frightened her ; but, through the yawning 

 rent in its side, saw, or thought she saw, that it was now 

 empty. Then she looked at the sandy walls, which rose slop- 

 ing round her, and, seeing all clear, lost no time in beginning 

 to scale them. This, though a very laborious, she found (as 

 she had expected) no impracticable task, and had half achieved 

 it, when she heard in a tree at hand, the well-known knocking 

 of the great Pecchio.* This time, from her precarious position, 

 it made her heart sink, and, what was worse, caused her foot 

 to slip, so that she fell rolling with a stream of sand to the 

 bottom of the pit. The Pecchio heard and saw her, and, 



* PeccJdo Italian for "Woodpecker. 



