In the reign of the famous King Arthur, there lived, near the Land's
End of England, in the county of Cornwall, a worthy farmer who had an
only son named Jack. Jack was a boy of a bold temper; he took pleasure
in hearing or reading stories of wizards, conjurors, giants, and
fairies, and used to listen eagerly while his father talked of the
great deeds of the brave knights of King Arthur's Round Table. When
Jack was sent to take care of the sheep and oxen in the fields, he
used to to amuse himself with planning battles, sieges, and the means
to conquer or surprise a foe. He was above the common sports of
children, but hardly any one could equal him at wrestling; or, if he
met with a match for himself in strength, his skill and address always
made him the victor.
In those days there lived on St. Michael's Mount, of Cornwall, which
rises out of the sea at some distance from the main-land, a huge
giant. He was eighteen feet high and three yards round, and his fierce
and savage looks were the terror of all his neighbors. He dwelt in a
gloomy cavern on the very top of the mountain, and used to wade over
to the main-land in search of his prey. When he came near, the people
left their houses; and after he had glutted his appetite upon their
cattle he would throw half a dozen oxen upon his back, and tie three
times as many sheep and hogs round his waist, and so march back to his
own abode.
[Illustration: "I will broil you for my breakfast"]
The giant had done this for many years, and the coast of Cornwall was
greatly hurt by his thefts, when Jack boldly resolved to destroy him.
He therefore took a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a dark lantern, and
early in a long winter's evening he swam to the Mount. There he fell
to work at once, and before morning he had dug a pit twenty-two feet
deep and almost as many broad. He covered it over with sticks and
straw, and strewed some of the earth over them, to make it look just
like solid ground. He then put his horn to his mouth, and blew such a
loud and long tantivy that the giant awoke and came towards Jack,
roaring like thunder: "You saucy villain, you shall pay dearly for
breaking my rest; I will broil you for my breakfast." He had scarcely
spoken these words when he came advancing one step farther; but then
he tumbled headlong into the pit, and his fall shook the very
mountain.
"Oho, Mr. Giant!" said Jack, looking into the pit, "have you found
your way so soon to the bottom? How is your appetite now? Will nothing
serve you for breakfast this cold morning but broiling poor Jack?"
The giant now tried to rise, but Jack struck him a blow on the crown
of the head with his pickaxe, which killed him at once. Jack then made
haste back to rejoice his friends with the news of the giant's death.
When the justices of Cornwall heard of this valiant action, they sent
for Jack, and declared that he should always be called Jack the
Giant-killer; and they also gave him a sword and belt, upon which was
written, in letters of gold:
"This is the valiant Cornishman
Who slew the giant Cormoran."
The news of Jack's exploits soon spread over the western parts of
England; and another giant, called Old Blunderbore, vowed to have
revenge on Jack if it should ever be his fortune to get him into his
power. The giant kept an enchanted castle in the midst of a lonely
wood. About four months after the death of Cormoran, as Jack was
taking a journey into Wales, he passed through this wood, and as he
was very weary he sat down to rest by the side of a pleasant fountain,
and there he fell into a deep sleep. The giant came to the fountain
for water just at this time and found Jack there; and as the lines on
Jack's belt showed who he was, the giant lifted him up and laid him
gently upon his shoulder to carry him to his castle; but as he passed
through the thicket the rustling of the leaves waked Jack, and he was
sadly afraid when he found himself in the clutches of Blunderbore.
Yet this was nothing to his fright soon after; for when they reached
the castle he beheld the floor covered all over with the skulls and
bones of men and women. The giant took him into a large room, where
lay the hearts and limbs of persons who had been lately killed; and he
told Jack, with a horrid grin, that men's hearts, eaten with pepper
and vinegar, were his nicest food, and, also, that he thought he
should make a dainty meal on his heart. When he had said this he
locked Jack up in that room, while he went to fetch another giant, who
lived in the same wood, to enjoy a dinner off Jack's flesh with him.
While he was away, Jack heard dreadful shrieks, groans, and cries from
many parts of the castle; and soon after he heard a mournful voice
repeat these lines:
"Haste, valiant stranger, haste away,
Lest you become the giant's prey.
On his return he'll bring another,
Still more savage than his brother;
A horrid, cruel monster who,
Before he kills, will torture you.
Oh, valiant stranger! haste away,
Or you'll become these giants' prey."
This warning was so shocking to poor Jack that he was ready to go
mad. He ran to the window and saw the two giants coming along arm in
arm. This window was right over the gates of the castle. "Now,"
thought Jack, "either my death or freedom is at hand."
There were two strong cords in the room. Jack made a large noose with
a slip-knot at the ends of both these, and, as the giants were coming
through the gates, he threw the ropes over their heads. He then made
the other ends fast to a beam in the ceiling, and pulled with all his
might, till he had almost strangled them. When he saw that they were
both black in the face, and had not the least strength left, he drew
his sword and slid down the ropes; he then killed the giants, and thus
saved himself from a cruel death. Jack next took a great bunch of keys
from the pocket of Blunderbore, and went into the castle again. He
made a strict search through all the rooms, and in them found three
ladies tied up by the hair of their heads, and almost starved to
death. They told him that their husbands had been killed by the
giants, who had then condemned them to be starved to death, because
they would not eat the flesh of their own dead husbands.
"Ladies," said Jack, "I have put an end to the monster and his wicked
brother; and I give you this castle and all the riches it contains, to
make you some amends for the dreadful pains you have felt." He then
very politely gave them the keys of the castle, and went farther on
his journey to Wales.
As Jack had not taken any of the giant's riches for himself, and had
very little money of his own, he thought it best to travel as fast as
he could. At length he lost his way, and when night came on he was in
a lonely valley between two lofty mountains. There he walked about for
some hours, without seeing any dwelling-place, so he thought himself
very lucky at last in finding a large and handsome house. He went up
to it boldly, and knocked loudly at the gate; when, to his great
terror and surprise, there came forth a monstrous giant with two
heads. He spoke to Jack very civilly, for he was a Welsh giant, and
all the mischief he did was by private and secret malice, under the
show of friendship and kindness.
Jack told him that he was a traveller who had lost his way, on which
the huge monster made him welcome, and led him into a room where there
was a good bed in which to pass the night. Jack took off his clothes
quickly; but though he was so weary he could not go to sleep. Soon
after this he heard the giant walking backward and forward in the next
room, and saying to himself:
"Though here you lodge with me this night,
You shall not see the morning light;
My club shall dash your brains out quite."
"Say you so?" thought Jack. "Are these your tricks upon travellers?
But I hope to prove as cunning as you." Then, getting out of bed, he
groped about the room, and at last found a large, thick billet of
wood; he laid it in his own place in the bed, and hid himself in a
dark corner of the room. In the middle of the night the giant came
with his great club, and struck many heavy blows on the bed, in the
very place where Jack had laid the billet, and then he went back to
his own room, thinking he had broken all his bones. Early in the
morning Jack put a bold face upon the matter, and walked into the
giant's room to thank him for his lodging.
The giant started when he saw him, and he began to stammer out: "Oh,
dear me! is it you? Pray how did you sleep last night? Did you hear or
see anything in the dead of the night?"
"Nothing worth speaking of," said Jack, carelessly; "a rat, I believe,
gave me three or four slaps with his tail, and disturbed me a little,
but I soon went to sleep again."
The giant wondered more and more at this, yet he did not answer a
word, and went to bring two great bowls of hasty-pudding for their
breakfast.
Jack wished to make the giant believe that he could eat as much as
himself, so he contrived to button a leathern bag inside his coat, and
slipped the hasty-pudding into this bag, while he seemed to put it
into his mouth. When breakfast was over, he said to the giant, "Now I
will show you a fine trick; I can cure all wounds with a touch; I
could cut off my head one minute, and the next put it sound again on
my shoulders; you shall see an example." He then took hold of the
knife, ripped up the leathern bag, and all the hasty-pudding tumbled
out upon the floor.
"Ods splutter hur nails," cried the Welsh giant, who was ashamed to
be outdone by such a little fellow as Jack; "hur can do that
hurself." So he snatched up the knife, plunged it into his stomach,
and in a moment dropped down dead.
As soon as Jack had thus tricked the Welsh monster, he went farther on
his journey; and a few days after he met with King Arthur's only son,
who had got his father's leave to travel into Wales, to deliver a
beautiful lady from the power of a wicked magician, by whom she was
held in enchantment. When Jack found that the young prince had no
servants with him, he begged leave to attend him; and the prince at
once agreed to this, and gave Jack many thanks for his kindness.
King Arthur's son was a handsome, polite, and brave knight, and so
good-natured that he gave money to everybody he met. At length he gave
his last penny to an old woman, and then turned to Jack. "How shall we
be able to get food for ourselves the rest of our journey?"
"Leave that to me, sir," replied Jack; "I will provide for my prince."
Night now came on, and the prince began to grow uneasy at thinking
where they should lodge.
"Sir," said Jack, "be of good heart; two miles farther lives a large
giant, whom I know well; he has three heads, and will fight five
hundred men, and make them fly before him."
"Alas!" cried the king's son, "we had better never have been born than
meet with such a monster."
"My lord, leave me to manage him, and wait here in quiet till I
return."
The prince now stayed behind, while Jack rode on at full speed; and
when he came to the gates of the castle he gave a loud knock. The
giant, with a voice like thunder, roared out, "Who is there?"