through the audience, who now began to perceive that he was really in
earnest, and had not spoken at first out of mere bravado. For the honour
of that oppressed race, I am glad to be able to add, that before any
long time had elapsed, the six volunteers whom Hans had demanded were
forthcoming in the persons of that number of sturdy young men, who felt
that the hour had come when one great effort must be made to set their
race free from slavery, and were prepared to follow their brave leader
in his perilous enterprise. {161}Indeed, a number of others offered
themselves as soon as the thing was fairly started, for man is an
imitative animal, and like a flock of sheep, if the leader once makes a
dash down a lane or up a bank, there are always plenty to follow. Hans,
however, carefully selected six of his own acquaintance, whom he knew to
be skilled in certain trades, of which a knowledge would be requisite in
order to carry out his plans, and upon whom he knew he could thoroughly
rely. He now looked proudly round upon the other mortals, and calling
his six friends to follow him, left the place of meeting, attended
by the good wishes of those whose deliverance he was about to
attempt,--not, however, altogether unmixed with sundry depreciatory
sneers on the part of the old gentleman and his immediate followers.
“Without any delay, Hans journeyed back to the spot upon which the
mighty Bramble-buffer lay fast asleep, his gigantic carcase resting
at full length upon the ground. Hard by, the little tailor stopped
his troop, and unfolded to them the plan which his fertile brain
had conceived, and for the execution of which he depended upon their
assistance. This was none other than to capture the monster, and either
put him to death or render him the dependant and slave of those over
whom he had so long tyrannized. It would of course be no easy task, but,
on the contrary, one which would require much courage and determination,
not to say self-sacrifice, as a possibility by no means remote. For,
should the giant awake during the operations which were contemplated, he
would probably make short work of Hans and his six followers; and thus,
in attempting {162}to achieve the freedom of their people, they would
emphatically have walked out of the frying-pan into the fire.
“Nothing daunted, however, Hans, speaking in a low tone of voice,
informed his friends of all that he had planned in his head, and,
knowing how valuable is example upon all such occasions, he told them
that he would himself approach the enemy in the first instance, so that
if he should suddenly awake, none other save the leader of the attack
need of necessity be lost. The gallant six all expressed their readiness
to go too, but Hans told them that they must in every respect obey his
orders if he was to continue their leader, and upon this they yielded
the point, and graciously consented to remain in comparative safety,
whilst the valiant tailor advanced upon the foe. This he did very
cautiously, and walked twice all round the sleeping giant in order to be
quite sure that he was really fast asleep. This was indeed the case, as
he speedily assured himself: there was no pretence about the matter; the
deep, regular breathing of the sleeper, his closed eyes, and the air of
repose visible in every feature, told their own tale, and Hans felt
that no moment could be more propitious for his design. Accordingly, he
climbed up into the branches of a neighbouring tree, and choosing one
of them, which appeared from its position and size to be suitable to his
purpose, swung himself lightly down, and alighted upon the giant’s
chin, close to his mouth, to reconnoitre which was his first object and
intention.
“He had a stick in his hand, and in entering the mouth, which was to him
like some enormous cave, unfortunately touched with it some tender place
in the skin, {163}which caused the monster to be seized with a violent
desire to sneeze, which he accordingly did with an effect hardly
anticipated by the luckless Hans, who, stick and all (the latter being
broken in several’ pieces), was sent up many feet in the air, and fell,
more nearly frightened than he had ever been before in his life, upon
the enormous breast of the creature who had thus treated him.
[Illustration: 180]
“Most fortunately for the little fellow, giants sleep longer and more
soundly than any other created beings, and it was not one sneeze that
could cause old Bramble-buffer to awake from an after-dinner nap. The
fall of Hans upon his breast was to him no more than would have been
the dropping of a nut from an overhanging tree, {164}and with a kind of
half-grunt, half-snore, he almost immediately became again completely
unconscious, and, with his mouth wide open, returned to the land of
dreams and snored audibly.
“This, then, was the opportunity for which Hans had earnestly hoped, and
he beckoned forward his followers, who approached at once, in order to
perform their part of the tremendous task before them. They were divided
into two parties, whose occupation was essentially different. Three
of them employed themselves upon the beard and hair of the sleeping
monster. They’ carefully, and with the lightest possible touch,
separated hair from hair, and then fastening to each single hair a
strong rope, as far as their ropes would go, bound it down to the ground
with pegs or nails, or fastened it securely to the branch of some tree
near at hand. They took every precaution not to wake the creature upon
whom they were at work, and they performed their business with a skill
and quickness which showed that Hans had made a good selection in the
volunteers whom he had accepted. The monster was ere long bound by
innumerable ties to the earth, and the number and strength of these was
momentarily increased. Nor, indeed, were the operations of the three men
confined to the hairs of the head and beard: the old Daddyroarer was a
very hairy person, and they found upon his legs and arms so many hairs
of the thickness of a large-sized rope, that by turning their attention
to these limbs and to other parts of his body, they multiplied many
times over the links by which they gradually bound him more and more
securely to mother earth.
“Meanwhile the other three volunteers were actively engaged {165}in an
occupation if possible still more dangerous. It was the mouth of the
giant upon which Hans had always known he should have to make his great
attempt. For should every other part of his huge frame be brought under
subjection and his mouth left free, the direst consequences might be
apprehended. His roars might bring to his assistance others of his kind
from a distance; and even if this did not actually occur, the whole
population of the country would be alarmed, if indeed the volunteers
themselves were not deafened and rendered senseless by the sound. It
was bad enough even when they commenced, for the snores of the sleeping
giant were like very loud thunder, closer to the earth than common, or
the roar of many cannons in some great conflict of human armies. Luckily,
however, he only snored at intervals, between which much could be done,
and by carefully filling their ears with cotton wool, the four men were
able to proceed with their task, the noise being somewhat deadened by
this wise precaution.
“Hans, armed with a long spear sharpened at both ends, boldly entered
the mouth first. It was as dark as an oven, and almost as hot, whilst
the odour was far less agreeable, as the monster liked his venison high,
and had eaten rather an unusual quantity that day. In fact, from time to
time the men were obliged to creep out, faint and sick, and take a whiff
of fresh air and a drop of brandy before they could go on with their
work. Hans carefully placed his long spear in such a position between
the jaws that they could not possibly be closed upon him. He was obliged
to be exceedingly careful in climbing round and over the teeth, which
were of such size, {166}length, and sharpness, that to traverse them was
like climbing over a wall with enormously long pointed iron spikes at
the top of it. In fact, but for the circumstance of the existence of
various holes and crevices through which he could creep, Hans would have
found his task even more difficult than was actually the case.
[Illustration: 183]
“His three companions, meanwhile, had provided themselves with a great
quantity of beams, joists, rafters, and all other necessary articles
for the purpose which they intended to accomplish. They set to work with
great zeal to fortify the giant’s mouth after a novel fashion, fixing
strong beams of oak between the teeth, and building in planks of oak and
fir so as to create a fixed and strong roof within the mouth which
no power could remove save in the same manner by which it had been
{167}erected, namely, by carpenters’ work performed by skilful
operators. As the darkness of the interior of the mouth rendered it
difficult to work therein, the workmen, who became bolder after they had
worked for some time without interruption, fetched a lantern, which
Hans carefully hung from one of the beams, and, by the assistance of its
light, the work proceeded more rapidly; and after a time the four men
arrived at the conclusion that there was little more to do in order to
secure the object for which they had undertaken their hazardous task.
[Illustration: 184]
“Accordingly they all left the mouth, except their valiant leader, who
now struck a severe blow upon the tongue of the giant with a fragment of
beam, in order to awake and summon him to surrender. Such, however, was
the thickness of the monster’s skin, that even upon this most sensitive
part a second and harder blow was necessary before the desired effect
could be produced.
Having {168}dealt this with all his force, Hans went forth and stood
upon the protruding lip of the giant, whence lie was presently hurled
down once more upon his breast, as the huge frame trembled and, with a
sigh, the monster awoke. Hans was speedily upon his legs again, climbed
at once boldly through the beard and whiskers of his prostrate enemy,
and standing upon the lower part of his cheek, and elevating his
lantern, shouted at the top of his voice, ‘You vile old murdering
Daddy-roarer! surrender yourself as my prisoner. Villain, you shall now
pay dearly for all the mischief you have done, and the innocent lives
which you have sacrificed. Monster, you must die!’
“Old Bramble-buffer, half asleep and half awake, at first made no
response whatever to this appeal, which, in fact, he scarcely heard.
Neither could he see the individual by whom he was addressed; all he
heard was a noise as of a shrill penny trumpet close to his ear, and it
was some few seconds before he recovered his senses sufficiently to make
out what was said to him. All he saw was the feeble ray of a lantern,
and he waited for awhile in hopeless confusion. Then, at last, he
perceived the strange little figure which had addressed him in so
haughty a tone, and for an instant a feeling of contemptuous mirth took
possession of his soul. This, however, did not last long, for Hans spoke
again.
“‘You don’t believe you are captive, don’t you?’ he cried. ‘Just try to
move, you old beggar, will you, and you’ll soon know the rights of it!’
“Bramble-buffer, on hearing these words, immediately followed the advice
which they gave, but found that he was so firmly secured to the ground
by more than {169}half the hairs of his head and body, that he could not
move an inch. Then he tried to roar, or at all events to speak to his
vanquisher, and discover what it all meant, but found himself totally
unable to do so. His mouth was so carefully and solidly fortified, that
he could no more close it than fly, and he found that he was completely
and absolutely in the power of those who had taken advantage of his
sleep to make him a helpless captive.
“As soon as he saw that the giant was aware of his condition, Hans
carefully kicked him on the nostril, and went on to say, ‘Now, you old
rascal, you will have time to repent, perhaps, but no more. The crows
and ravens will soon come and pick out your eyes, and the wolves and
other animals for whom the flesh of an old giant is not too strong, will
doubtless make an end of you before long. If, however, these should not
arrive soon, you may starve here as comfortably as you can, and die
of hunger at your leisure.’ With these words the little tailor stamped
violently on the old Daddy-roarer’s cheek, and laughed scornfully as he
did so.
“Perfectly helpless, overcome with sorrow at his miserable condition,
and struck with horror at the melancholy and wretched fate which he saw
impending, Bramble-buffer could bear up no longer, but burst into
tears, in doing which he very nearly destroyed his conqueror, who
would certainly have been washed away by the stream which suddenly came
gushing down the cheek on which he was standing, had he not with his
wonted agility jumped on one side, and swung himself off by the whiskers
on to the ground.
“Seeing his enemy thus completely prostrate in body and {170}soul, and
evidently perfectly conscious of the helplessness of his position, the
acute brain of Hans began immediately to consider whether there might
not be some better way of turning the giant to account than by either
killing him or leaving him to die, especially as there would be
considerable practical inconvenience in getting rid of so huge a
carcase, which would moreover attract all the wolves, foxes, vultures,
crows, and other disagreeable animals from far and near, and render the
place unbearable for months to come. A happy thought struck him, and he
instantly struck the giant in consequence, climbing back again on to his
lip in order to do so. ‘Listen to me, Daddy roarer!’ he cried at the top
of his voice. ‘You can purchase your life if you wish it. What do you
say to that?’
[Illustration: 187]
“Fastened as he was, and unable to speak or move his mouth, the old
fellow could only signify his delight by {171}winking his eyes, which he
forthwith did with as much expression as could be expected from a
person of his intellectual capacity. Hans perfectly understood that an
affirmative reply was intended, and he thus proceeded to explain his
meaning to the giant. ‘Now, look here, old chap! you must confess that
you have been a regular ruffian: destroying crops, throwing down houses,
bagging sheep and cattle, stamping upon people who never did _you_ any
harm, and generally playing Old Harry with the whole country. Now, if I
and my mates let you off this time, and spare your life, you must vow,
promise, and solemnly declare that you will do just exactly the reverse
and opposite of all you have hitherto done. You must watch over the
interests of mankind, and, in fact, you must be our slave, perform the
tasks which we shall impose upon you, and yield a ready and implicit
obedience to all commands which shall be laid upon you by properly
constituted authorities among mankind, from the Emperor of Germany down
to the parish constable. If you’re game for this, old fellow, wink your
eye again, and it’s a bargain.’
“It may perhaps be objected to our hero Hans, Brother Thames, that his
language was somewhat of what is termed a ‘slang’ character; but if
critics make, as critics will, such remarks, they should remember that,
in the days of which I am speaking, tailors were not, as now, upon an
equality with educated gentlemen, and their language was not unnaturally
somewhat less polished and refined than might otherwise have been the
case. I should willingly put into the mouth of Hans expressions of a
nature better calculated to please the superlatively well-conditioned
gentlemen who, in these days {172}when all men are equal, speak with
acknowledged accuracy of taste and grammar, whether they chance to have
been half, wholly, or not at all educated, and cannot endure in the
mouths of others anything which falls short of their own high standard;
but I speak of things and people as they really were in those old days,
and I cannot alter the truth for anybody.
“Hans was only a tailor, and perhaps a little vulgar into the bargain,
and he certainly accosted the old giant with more slang expressions and
less respect than his age and rank might have entitled him to expect. So
it was, however, and, what is more, the result was the same as it would
probably have been if Hans had used other and better language to express
his meaning.
“Old Bramble-buffer no sooner heard the conditions imposed than he
winked his eye again without the smallest hesitation, in order to
signify that he agreed to the bargain. Upon this our friend Hans
immediately summoned his companions, who came at once, and, being
ordered by him to do so, climbed upon the face of the still-prostrate
foe, and, at Hans’ further commands, took up the positions which he
indicated. Three of them sat quietly upon his forehead, whilst two
others sat, one over each of his eyes, holding in their hands a sharp
dagger which they kept suspended just above his eyelids.
“‘Now, old boy,’ shouted Hans again, right into the ear of the giant,
‘look here; I am going to keep my part of the bargain, and begin to set
you free. If, when your mouth is open, you cry out for help, or say or
do anything unpleasant, straight into your eyes go these two daggers,
and you will find that you will fare much {173}worse than if you had
kept your word. As soon as your voice is free, you will swear the Big
Oath of the giants to be the slave of our people henceforth; and
you shall then be set free from the other bonds by which you are now
constrained.’
[Illustration: 190]
“Having said these words, Hans boldly descended once more into the huge
mouth of his former enemy, accompanied by his remaining companions, who
carried a lantern. Then, taking up his spear, which he had removed from
its position in the giant’s jaws as soon as the beams and rafters had
been all fixed and securely built in, he carefully moved one of these,
which was the key {174}to the whole edifice, and then, jumping out of
the mouth, told the owner thereof that he could do the rest himself.
This, indeed, was the case, for with a vigorous crunch of his jaws,
Bramble-buffer now smashed beams, rafters, joists, and planks all into
one shapeless mass, which he forthwith spat out of his mouth as fast as
he could, and afterwards indulged in a long, deep sigh of relief. It was
a moment of agonizing suspense to the men. Suppose the giant should play
false? They might indeed put out his eyes, but his roars would probably
bring other giants to his aid before long, and, when free, his vengeance
would be terrible. A very few seconds, however, put an end to their
doubts, and dissipated all their fears. The race of giants are a curious
combination of good and evil, and if the latter generally predominates,
it is really not so much from natural or inherent vice as from defective
education, there being a sad want of elementary schools among giants,
and few people big enough to undertake the instruction of their youth.
But no well-born giant of average respectability breaks the great giant
oath, and this was what Bramble-buffer had promised to take. Nor was he
false to his promise: as soon as he had recovered his powers of speech,
his very first words were as follows, pronounced in rhyme, doubtless for
the sake of emphasis:--
‘By the mountains of the earth;
By the ground which gave me birth;
By the streams which here do flow;
By the cots I’ve oft laid low;
By the woods and forests great;
By the woven web of Fate;
By the waters of the Rhine,
Swear I now this oath of mine:--
War with man henceforth t’ eschew,
To their cause for e’er be true,
All their mandates to obey,
Willing slave by night or day,
To their will submissive bow,
Since they grant my freedom now!’
“It {175}is but doing justice to the estimation in which the character
of the giants as vow-keepers stood, to say that from the moment that old
Bramble-buffer pronounced these words, not one of the seven heroes who
stood on and about his face at the time of his dozing had the smallest
fear for themselves, or for those to whom he had just vowed obedience.
They felt, on the contrary, such entire confidence in the moral probity
of their old enemy, and in his honest intention to observe his oath
in the most religious manner, that they immediately threw down their
daggers (in such a reckless manner as might have proved serious to
the face of the old giant if they had not fortunately fallen in his
whiskers), and proceeded without delay to climb down and set free the
hairs which they had so securely fastened with cords and ropes. Little
by little they separated those disagreeable knots and ties, and the
emancipated Bramble-buffer at last rose once more from the ground a free
giant.
“As soon as he was upon his legs, the first thing he did was to shake
himself violently, and in so doing cause the earth to tremble beneath
him as from the shock of an earthquake. He then spoke humbly to Hans,
and asked his will; but as in doing this he employed his ordinary voice,
which was not unlike thunder, his conqueror made the first use of
his power by desiring his slave to speak in a whisper for the future,
{176}unless he should happen to be standing at a great distance from the
person addressed. He next directed the captive Bramble-buffer to carry
him and his companions to the cave in which they had left the rest of
the mortals. This cave was formed out of rocks, close to the vast ruins
of an ancient castle, which at some distant time had been built in a
very strong position, but which age or giants had long ago partially
demolished. In front of the cave huge rocks jutted out on all sides, and
on a plateau of rock there came out several of the mortals to receive
Hans and his prisoner, as soon as the news had spread that they were
near at hand.
“Bramble-buffer had meekly obeyed the commands of his master, and
brought him and his six volunteers safely to the place they desired.
Then Hans, having directed that he should be placed upon a table of rock
just opposite that on which the other mortals were standing, and which
was about on a level with the giant’s head as he stood below, introduced
their new slave to his fellow-men, and related to them the perils and
adventures through which he and his six friends had passed, and the
successful issue to which they had brought the affair which had been
entrusted to them. Upon this the men all set up a shout of joy, as they
gazed with unfeigned delight upon their old enemy, humbled and brought
low as he was.
“Then there followed the usual course of action in such matters.
Everybody praised Hans, and everybody pretended that _they_ had known
his talents, skill, and bravery from the first, and had always been in
favour of the expedition which he had planned and executed.
One {177}would have thought that the old gentleman, at least, would have
remained silent, but this was far from being the case. On the contrary,
he was foremost in offering his congratulations to the triumphant Hans,
and even went so far as to say that he could not help taking some credit
to himself in the matter, for that, highly approving of his scheme from
the first moment he heard it, and being most anxious for its success, he
had known that a little pretended opposition was the only way to get up
a feeling in favour of it among the general throng, and had therefore
spoken doubtfully in order to secure this result. His wisdom, he added,
had been amply justified; Hans had succeeded as he, the old gentleman,
had always known he must and would succeed, and he hoped he would ever
be grateful to those whose age and experience had assisted him at the
first beginning of the affair.