The Queen often criticised me for being cowardly, and she used to ask me whether the people of my country were all cowards, like I was. The reason was this there were a lot of flies in the kingdom in summer, and these disgusting insects, each of them as big as an English pigeon, bothered me during my dinner with their constant humming and buzzing around my ears. They sometimes landed on my food or on my nose or forehead. They smelled terrible, and I could easily see the disgusting, sticky liquid which enabled them to walk on walls and ceilings. I had a lot of trouble animals and could not stop myself from jumping up with fear when they tried to land on my head. My solution was to cut them to pieces with my knife as they flew in the air, and my skill at this was admired by everyone.