was more playful than warlike. Though the old works of the giant now
stand desolate, we may still see, or get up and rock ourselves upon,
the logan-stone which this dear old giant placed on the most westerly
carn of the range, that he might log himself to sleep when he saw the
sun dip into the waves and sea-birds fly to their homes in the cleeves.
Near the giant’s rocking-seat, one may still see a pile of cubical
rocks, which are almost as regular and shapely now as when the giant
used to amuse himself in building them up, and kicking them down again,
for exercise or play, when alone and he had nothing else to do. People
of the northern hills have always had a loving regard for the memory of
this giant, because he appears to have passed all his life at the carn
in single blessedness, merely to protect his beloved people of Morvah
and Zennor from the depredations of the less honest Titans who then
dwelt on Lelant hills. Carn Galva giant never killed but one of the
Morvah people in his life, and that happened all through loving play.
The giant was very fond of a fine young fellow, of Choone, who used to
take a turn over to the Carn, every now and then, just to see how the
old giant was getting on, to cheer him up a bit, play a game of bob, or
anything else to help him pass his lonely time away. One afternoon the
giant was so well pleased with the good play they had together, that
when the young fellow of Choone threw down his quoit to go away home,
the giant, in a good-natured way, tapped his playfellow on the head
with the tips of his fingers. At the same time he said, “Be sure to
come again to-morrow, my son, and we will have a capital game of bob.”
Before the word “bob” was well out of the giant’s mouth, the young man
dropped at his feet. The giant’s fingers had gone right through his
playmate’s skull. When, at last, the giant became sensible of the
damage he had done to the young man’s brain-pan, he did his best to put
the inside workings of his mate’s head to rights and plugged up his
finger-holes, but all to no purpose; for the young man was stone dead
and cold, long before he ceased doctoring his head.
When the poor giant found it was all over with his playmate, he took
the body in his arms, and, sitting down on a large square rock at the
foot of the carn, he rocked himself to and fro; pressing the lifeless
body to his bosom, he wailed and moaned over him, bellowing and crying
louder than the booming billows breaking on the rocks in Permoina.
“Oh, my son, my son, why didn’t they make the shell of thy noddle
stronger? A es as plum (soft) as a pie-crust, dough-baked, and made too
thin by the half! How shall I ever pass my time without thee to play
bob and mop-and-heede? (hide-and-seek.)”
The Giant of Carn Galva never rejoiced any more, but, in seven years or
so, he pined away and died of a broken heart.
So Zennor people say, and that one may judge of the size of their giant
very well, as he placed his logan-rock at such a height that, when
seated on it, to rock himself, he could rest his feet comfortably on
the green turf below.
Some say that he gathered together the heap of square blocks, near his
favourite resting-place, that he might have them at hand to defend his
people against the giants of Trecrobben and Trink, with whom he fought
many a hard battle. Yet when they were all on good terms they would
pass weeks on a stretch in playing together, and the quoits which
served them to play bob, as well as the rocks they hurled at each other
when vexed, may still be seen scattered all over this hilly region.
Surely a grateful remembrance of this respectable giant will ever be
preserved by the descendants of those he protected in the northern
hills.
We have often heard the high country folks relate this legend of their
giant in a much more circumstantial manner than we can attempt, because
we do not, like the good Morvah folk, give implicit credence to all the
traditions of Carn Galva. Yet this romantic region makes us feel that
“Surely there is a hidden power that reigns
Mid the lone majesty of untamed nature,
Controlling sober reason.”