He started back thinking he was dreaming , and put up his hand ; but , alas ! the dreadful thing was true . ` Oh , why does not some wild beast devour me ? ' he cried to himself ; ` never , never , can I go again amongst my fellow-men ! If only the sea had swallowed me up , how much happier it had been for me ! ' And he hid his head in his hands and wept . His grief was so violent , that it exhausted him , and growing hungry he looked about for something to eat . Just above him was a bough of ripe , brown nuts , end he picked them and ate a handful . To his surprise , as he was eating them , he felt his nose grow shorter and shorter , and after a while he ventured to feel it with his hand , and even to look in the stream again ! Yes , there was no mistake , it was as short as before , or perhaps a little shorter . In his joy at this discovery Tiidu did a very bold thing . He took one of the apples out of his pocket , and cautiously bit a piece out of it . In an instant his nose was as long as his chin , and in a deadly fear lest it should stretch further , he hastily swallowed a nut , and awaited the result with terror . Supposing that the shrinking of his nose had only been an accident before ! Supposing that that nut and no other was able to cause its shrinking ! In that case he had , by his own folly , in not letting well alone , ruined his life completely . But , no ! he had guessed rightly , for in no more time than his nose had taken to grow long did it take to return to its proper size . ` This may make my fortune , ' he said joyfully to himself ; and he gathered some of the apples , which he put into one pocket , and a good supply of nuts which he put into the other . Next day he wove a basket out of some rushes , so that if he ever left the island he might be able to carry his treasures about .
That night he dreamed that his friend the old man appeared to him and XXXXX : ` Because you did not mourn for your lost treasure , but only for your pipes , I will give you a new set to replace them . '
devour dreaming eating felt put ruined said took wept wove