The Blue Fairy Book
and went into the castle again. He made a strict search through all
the rooms, and in one of 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 some amends for the dreadful pains you have felt.” He then very
politely gave them the keys of the castle, and went further on his
journey to Wales.
As Jack had but little money, he went on as fast as possible. At length
he came to a handsome house. Jack knocked at the door, when there came
forth a Welsh giant. Jack said he was a traveler who had lost his way,
on which the giant made him welcome, and let him into a room where there
was a good bed to sleep in.
Jack took off his clothes quickly, but though he was 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 travelers? But
I hope to prove as cunning as you are.” 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 then hid himself in a dark
corner of the room.
The giant, about midnight, entered the apartment, and with his bludgeon
struck many blows on the bed, in the very place where Jack had laid the
log; and then he went back to his own room, thinking he had broken all
Jack’s 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 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 to speak of,” said Jack, carelessly; “a rat, I believe, gave me
three or four slaps with its 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,
but went to bring two great bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast.
Jack wanted 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
slip 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
in 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 own stomach, and in a
moment dropped down dead.
Jack, having hitherto been successful in all his undertakings, resolved
not to be idle in future; he therefore furnished himself with a horse,
a cap of knowledge, a sword of sharpness, shoes of swiftness, and an
invisible coat, the better to perform the wonderful enterprises that lay
before him.
He traveled over high hills, and on the third day he came to a large and
spacious forest through which his road lay. Scarcely had he entered the
forest when he beheld a monstrous giant dragging along by the hair
of their heads a handsome knight and his lady. Jack alighted from his
horse, and tying him to an oak tree, put on his invisible coat, under
which he carried his sword of sharpness.
When he came up to the giant he made several strokes at him, but could
not reach his body, but wounded his thighs in several places; and at
length, putting both hands to his sword and aiming with all his might,
he cut off both his legs. Then Jack, setting his foot upon his neck,
plunged his sword into the giant’s body, when the monster gave a groan
and expired.
The knight and his lady thanked Jack for their deliverance, and invited
him to their house, to receive a proper reward for his services. “No,”
said Jack, “I cannot be easy till I find out this monster’s habitation.”
So, taking the knight’s directions, he mounted his horse and soon after
came in sight of another giant, who was sitting on a block of timber
waiting for his brother’s return.
Jack alighted from his horse, and, putting on his invisible coat,
approached and aimed a blow at the giant’s head, but, missing his aim,
he only cut off his nose. On this the giant seized his club and laid
about him most unmercifully.
“Nay,” said Jack, “if this be the case I’d better dispatch you!” so,
jumping upon the block, he stabbed him in the back, when he dropped down
dead.
Jack then proceeded on his journey, and traveled over hills and dales,
till arriving at the foot of a high mountain he knocked at the door of a
lonely house, when an old man let him in.
When Jack was seated the hermit thus addressed him: “My son, on the top
of this mountain is an enchanted castle, kept by the giant Galligantus
and a vile magician. I lament the fate of a duke’s daughter, whom they
seized as she was walking in her father’s garden, and brought hither
transformed into a deer.”
Jack promised that in the morning, at the risk of his life, he would
break the enchantment; and after a sound sleep he rose early, put on his
invisible coat, and got ready for the attempt.
When he had climbed to the top of the mountain he saw two fiery
griffins, but he passed between them without the least fear of danger,
for they could not see him because of his invisible coat. On the castle
gate he found a golden trumpet, under which were written these lines:
“Whoever can this trumpet blow
Shall cause the giant’s overthrow.”
As soon as Jack had read this he seized the trumpet and blew a shrill
blast, which made the gates fly open and the very castle itself tremble.
The giant and the conjurer now knew that their wicked course was at an
end, and they stood biting their thumbs and shaking with fear. Jack,
with his sword of sharpness, soon killed the giant, and the magician was
then carried away by a whirlwind; and every knight and beautiful lady
who had been changed into birds and beasts returned to their proper
shapes. The castle vanished away like smoke, and the head of the giant
Galligantus was then sent to King Arthur.
The knights and ladies rested that night at the old man’s hermitage, and
next day they set out for the Court. Jack then went up to the King, and
gave his Majesty an account of all his fierce battles.
Jack’s fame had now spread through the whole country, and at the King’s
desire the duke gave him his daughter in marriage, to the joy of all his
kingdom. After this the King gave him a large estate, on which he and
his lady lived the rest of their days in joy and contentment.(1)
(1) Old Chapbook.
THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY
And many a hunting song they sung,
And song of game and glee;
Then tuned to plaintive strains their tongue,
“Of Scotland’s luve and lee.”
To wilder measures next they turn
“The Black, Black Bull of Norroway!”
Sudden the tapers cease to burn,
The minstrels cease to play.
“The Cout of Keeldar,” by J. Leyden.
In Norroway, langsyne, there lived a certain lady, and she had three
dochters. The auldest o’ them said to her mither: “Mither, bake me a
bannock, and roast me a collop, for I’m gaun awa’ to seek my fortune.”
Her mither did sae; and the dochter gaed awa’ to an auld witch
washerwife and telled her purpose. The auld wife bade her stay that day,
and gang and look out o’ her back door, and see what she could see. She
saw nocht the first day. The second day she did the same, and saw nocht.
On the third day she looked again, and saw a coach-and-six coming along
the road. She ran in and telled the auld wife what she saw. “Aweel,”
quo’ the auld wife, “yon’s for you.” Sae they took her into the coach,
and galloped aff.
The second dochter next says to her mither: “Mither, bake me a bannock,
and roast me a collop, fur I’m gaun awa’ to seek my fortune.” Her mither
did sae; and awa’ she gaed to the auld wife, as her sister had dune. On
the third day she looked out o’ the back door, and saw a coach-and-four
coming along the road. “Aweel,” quo’ the auld wife, “yon’s for you.” Sae
they took her in, and aff they set.
The third dochter says to her mither: “Mither, bake me a bannock, and
roast me a collop, for I’m gaun awa’ to seek my fortune.” Her mither did
sae; and awa’ she gaed to the auld witch-wife. She bade her look out
o’ her back door, and see what she could see. She did sae; and when she
came back said she saw nocht. The second day she did the same, and saw
nocht. The third day she looked again, and on coming back said to the
auld wife she saw nocht but a muckle Black Bull coming roaring alang the
road. “Aweel,” quo’ the auld wife, “yon’s for you.” On hearing this she
was next to distracted wi’ grief and terror; but she was lifted up and
set on his back, and awa’ they went.
Aye they traveled, and on they traveled, till the lady grew faint wi’
hunger. “Eat out o’ my right lug,” says the Black Bull, “and drink out
o’ my left lug, and set by your leavings.” Sae she did as he said, and
was wonderfully refreshed. And lang they gaed, and sair they rade, till
they came in sight o’ a very big and bonny castle. “Yonder we maun be
this night,” quo’ the bull; “for my auld brither lives yonder”; and
presently they were at the place. They lifted her aff his back, and took
her in, and sent him away to a park for the night. In the morning,
when they brought the bull hame, they took the lady into a fine shining
parlor, and gave her a beautiful apple, telling her no to break it till
she was in the greatest strait ever mortal was in in the world, and that
wad bring her o’t. Again she was lifted on the bull’s back, and after
she had ridden far, and farer than I can tell, they came in sight o’ a
far bonnier castle, and far farther awa’ than the last. Says the bull
till her: “Yonder we maun be the night, for my second brither lives
yonder”; and they were at the place directly. They lifted her down
and took her in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In the
morning they took the lady into a fine and rich room, and gave her the
finest pear she had ever seen, bidding her no to break it till she was
in the greatest strait ever mortal could be in, and that wad get her out
o’t. Again she was lifted and set on his back, and awa’ they went. And
lang they gaed, and sair they rade, till they came in sight o’ the far
biggest castle, and far farthest aff, they had yet seen. “We maun be
yonder the night,” says the bull, “for my young brither lives yonder”;
and they were there directly. They lifted her down, took her in, and
sent the bull to the field for the night. In the morning they took her
into a room, the finest of a’, and gied her a plum, telling her no to
break it till she was in the greatest strait mortal could be in, and
that wad get her out o’t. Presently they brought hame the bull, set the
lady on his back, and awa’ they went.
And aye they gaed, and on they rade, till they came to a dark and ugsome
glen, where they stopped, and the lady lighted down. Says the bull to
her: “Here ye maun stay till I gang and fight the deil. Ye maun seat