At some distance from London, in a small village, lived a widow and
her son, whose name was Jack. He was a bold, daring fellow, ready
for any adventure which promised fun or amusement. Jack's mother had
a cow, of which she was very fond, and which, up to this time, had
been their chief support. But as she had for some time past been
growing poorer every year, she felt that now she must part with the
cow. So she told Jack to take the cow to be sold, and he was to be
sure to get a good round sum for her. On the road to market Jack met
a butcher, who was carrying in his hat some things which Jack thought
to be very pretty. The butcher saw how eagerly Jack eyed his beans,
and said, "If you want to sell your cow, my fine fellow, I will give
you this whole hatful of beans in exchange for her."
Jack was delighted; he seized the hat, and ran back home. Jack's
mother was surprised to see him back so soon, and at once asked him
for the money. But when Jack said he had sold the cow for a hatful of
beans, she was so angry that she opened the window and threw them all
out into the garden. When Jack rose up next morning he found that one
of the beans had taken root, and had grown up, up, up, until its top
was quite lost in the clouds. Jack resolved instantly to mount the
Beanstalk. So up, up, up, he went till he had reached the very top.
Looking round he saw at a distance a large house. Tired and weary, he
crawled towards it and knocked on the door. The door was opened by a
timid looking woman who started when she saw him, and besought him to
run away as her husband was a cruel Giant who would eat him up if he
found him there. But Jack begged so earnestly to be admitted that the
woman, who was very kind-hearted, had pity on him, and so she brought
him into the kitchen, and set before him on a table some bread, meat,
and ale. Jack ate and drank, and soon felt quite refreshed. Presently
the woman started and said, "My husband! quick, quick! he comes--he
comes!" and opened the door to the oven and bid Jack jump in. The
Giant was in a dreadful passion when he came in, and almost killed
his wife by a blow which he aimed at her. He then began to sniff and
smell--at last he roared out:
"Fee, fa, fi, fo, fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman!
Be he alive, or be he dead,
I'll grind his bones to make me bread!"
His wife gave him an evasive answer, and proceeded to lay before him
his supper. When the Giant could swallow no more, he called out to
his wife to bring him his hen, which, after being brought, whenever
the Giant said "Lay," the hen laid a golden egg. The Giant soon fell
asleep, and Jack crept out softly and seized the hen, and made off
without disturbing the Giant. Away ran Jack till he came to the
Beanstalk; he was much sooner at the bottom of it now than at the top
in the morning; and running to his mother he told all his adventure.
The hen laid as many golden eggs as Jack liked, and his mother before
long had another cow and everything which she desired. A second time
Jack climbed the Beanstalk, when he ran away with the Giant's bag of
money. A third time Jack climbed the Beanstalk, and again gained
admission to the Giant's house. He saw the Giant's wife, and asked
her for a night's lodging. She at first said she could not let him
into the house, but Jack begged so hard that at last she consented,
and gave him some supper and put him to sleep in the copper boiler
near the kitchen fireplace, where she thought the Giant would not
find him.
When the Giant came in, his good nose served him in a moment: for he
cried out "I smell fresh meat." Jack laughed at this, but it was no
laughing matter; for the Giant looked all around the room, and even
put his finger on the lid of the copper, till it seemed as if a stone
of a hundredweight had fallen upon the lid. Just then his wife came
in with a whole roasted bullock smoking hot, which the Giant sat down
and ate for his supper, and then went down into the cellar, and drank
about six gallons of Jamaica rum. The Giant now sat down and went to
sleep, and Jack tried to run away with his golden harp, an instrument
which, when the Giant said "play," played the most beautiful tunes.
Now the harp was a fairy, and as soon as he touched it, it called out
"Master! Master!" so loud that the Giant awoke, but he was some time
before he could understand what was the matter. He tried to run after
Jack, but Jack got to the top of the beanstalk first. When he had
descended a little way he looked up, and how great was his horror to
see the huge hand of the Giant stretched down to seize him by the
hair of the head! He slid and scrambled down the Beanstalk, hardly
knowing how, and seeing the Giant just putting his feet over the top,
he called out, "Quick, mother! A hatchet, a hatchet!" Jack seized it
and chopped away at the beanstalk, when down it fell, bringing along
with it the Giant. Jack instantly cut off his head. After this Jack
and his mother lived very happily, and Jack was a great comfort to
her in her old age.
[Page 33--Boy Land]